


Summer Nights

by thatgayshit5



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: F/F, Summer Camp AU, no one asked for this but here we are, or not such a slowburn oops, slowburn but not for a lack of trying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:28:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgayshit5/pseuds/thatgayshit5
Summary: Raelle Collar expects several things to happen this summer. She expects to hang out with her friends, make memories with the kids, maybe make some bad decisions on her days off. What she doesn't expect is to meet Scylla Ramshorn, or anything that happens after that.This is the summer camp AU no one asked for but I'm writing anyway!
Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 63
Kudos: 215





	1. home/let me come home/home is wherever i'm with you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here is the first chapter of Summer Nights, the summer camp fic inspired by my summer as an overnight camp counselor. The fic title is not in reference to any songs in particular, but the chapter title is from Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I have a playlist that will inspire chapter titles but they're entirely just songs that make me personally think of this fic so I'm sorry in advance.

Raelle grew up in the mountains. While she likes her college and the city, the mountains of North Carolina will always be her childhood home. Despite how shitty the politics are, there’s something sentimental that calls her back here every summer; something nostalgic that stirs in her chest when familiar mountains and valleys appear on the horizon. Raelle loves the peace and solitude that she finds on the twisting roads as the elevation increases the closer she gets to home, the misty mornings on the porch drinking coffee, the late nights with the constant buzz of cicadas lulling her to sleep in the summer. It’s a stark contrast to the bustling city where she spends most of the year, and she smiles as she drives down the now familiar roads, windows down and the wind in her hair. 

The past semester was rough- really, the entirety of sophomore year sucked _ass_ \- but after some time with her papa, she’s finally heading to the place she feels the most at home.

 _Home._ The thought brings a smile to her face as the road narrows, winding in tight curves around mountains with the forest closing in on the right, and nothing but thin air and a steep drop on the left. 

Raelle’s destination isn’t too far away now, and she feels her excitement start to rise. Summer camp might not mean a lot to most people but for her it is the highlight of her year, something she looks forward to every summer. This will be her third summer as a camp counselor at the small but beloved Camp Demeter. At first, it was a necessity; she needed to get out of her house. The memories of her mama were everywhere and she couldn’t escape them, so working at a sleep away camp for the summer seemed like a good deal. There was no way for her to know that what she would find there would be so much more than a place to escape for a few months. She found a community that supported her, friends who became family, and the most beautiful place she has ever seen. By the end of the summer, there was no question of whether or not she would return the next year.

Camp Demeter is situated on top of a small mountain and encompasses a little of the surrounding forest. It’s a small camp, nothing like the large productions the Girl Scouts can pull off, but those who come here love it. It draws people from across the country and locals alike; they all find a home here. That’s part of what Raelle loves about Camp Demeter: everyone has a place here, including her.

Raelle spots the camp’s sign and turns onto the gravel side road, following it all the way to a gravel lot by the dining hall at the top of the mountain. She parks the car and climbs out, stretching her legs after the drive and grabbing her bags from the trunk.

“ _Raelle!_ ” She turns just in time to see a flash of red hair bolting at her before she’s tackled in a tight embrace. She laughs, returning the hug as they rock back and forth with her friend’s enthusiasm. Clearly, some things never change, and Tally’s endless energy seems to be one of them.

“Hey, Tal. Did ya miss me?” Tally is grinning at her from ear to ear and she ruffles Raelle’s hair with a laugh.

“You know I did. Abigail is still setting up her stuff in Circe Cabin, will you be in there with us for training week?” The first week of camp is always a training week and the staff get to pick where they stay.

“Where else would I be?” Tally’s question was really more of a formality; they spend every training week together.

“Awesome!” Tally claps her hands. “I’m so excited. This summer is going to be the best one yet; I can feel it.”

Raelle smiles, opening the passenger door to grab her guitar.

“I’ll bet. I gotta go check in but I’ll head over there as soon as I can, yeah?” 

“See you then!”

Raelle waves goodbye to Tally as she slings her large duffle bag and guitar case over her shoulder. She heads to the lodge, the largest building at the camp, where she knows she needs to check in with Anacostia. The camp director is in charge of all of the counselors and despite a rocky start to their relationship, Raelle has grown to love her. She finds Anacostia shuffling some papers as she greets the other counselors checking in. Raelle grins as she walks up to the table.

Anacostia looks up as she gets close and Raelle doesn’t miss the small, affectionate smile that breaks through her stoic expression. She greets Raelle with a curt nod, her hands behind her back. 

_Yet another thing that never changes_ , Raelle thinks.

“Collar, you’re back.” Raelle’s smile never falters as she drops her duffle bag on the table between them.

“You knew I would be.” Anacostia nods again, the smile on her face growing. She’s always had a soft spot for Raelle and Raelle knows it.

“...That is correct. Welcome back, Raelle,” she says as she hands over the check-in papers that all staff need to complete upon arrival, her smile broad and warm now.

“Thanks, it’s good to be back.” Raelle looks over the paperwork and signs it. “How’ve you been, Anacostia?” She asks, handing the papers back to her boss.

“I can’t complain; everything has been good here. Camp set up is going well. I do have a favor to ask of you, though.”

“Oh yeah?” 

_That’s concerning_ , Raelle thinks. Anacostia almost never asks for _favors_ ; they’re usually orders taken with no questions asked. Anacostia Quartermaine asking for a favor is shockingly uncharacteristic.

“Yes,” she gives Raelle an apologetic look. “I need you to go into town. We have a new girl this summer. She arrives at the bus station in an hour. You know your way around here best and I need everyone else on check-in. Can you go pick her up?” Raelle sighs. This is not how she imagined today going.

“Shit, Anacostia. I just got here and I still gotta unpack...” 

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll take your things to Circe.” Raelle heaves another sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as she thinks.

“An hour, you said?” Anacostia nods. “Alright, I’ll do it. Let Tally and Abigail know where I went.”

“Thank you. This means more to me than you know.”

“Yeah, whatever.” It’s a little bitchy, but what can she say? Her entire day just got turned upside down. Raelle puts down the rest of her things and turns to head back to her car, already reaching for the keys in her pocket.

“Her name is Scylla,” Anacostia says as she walks away.

“Got it,” Raelle calls over her shoulder. “The hell kind of name is Scylla, anyways?” Raelle grumbles to herself as she walks back to the parking lot. 

The drive into town goes quickly enough. It’s about forty five minutes away, give or take a few. Picking this mystery girl up really isn’t that much of a hassle, but Raelle was looking forward to spending some time with her friends before the world’s most painful mandatory ice breakers started. She hasn’t seen Tally and Abigail in a year and she has missed them dearly, as much as she is loath to admit it to anyone.

The three of them met during Raelle’s first summer at camp. There was an odd number of counselors that year and they were lucky enough to be the one trio placed with a cabin full of ten year old girls. The first week was _hell_. Raelle and Abigail had clashed horribly and Anacostia and Tally had to sit them both down for a good lecture on pulling their heads out of their asses before they finally started to get along. After that though, their little friend group was inseparable. Over the rest of the summer they got assigned to different cabins but from there on out the three of them were the best of friends, attached at the hip whenever given the opportunity. At the end of the summer, before Abigail went back to New York and Tally returned to Sacramento, they spent their entire last night together crying, hugging and making solemn vows to return next summer. And here they are three years later, as close as ever despite the distance between them ten months out of the year.

Raelle pulls up across the street from the bus station, turning the car off and propping the door open. The station is a dilapidated thing and she can see why Anacostia didn’t want to leave this girl waiting here for too long. The only place to sit is a bench outside and the rusting hunk of metal doesn’t look particularly inviting. 

_The bus better not be late_ , she thinks to herself, _I don’t wanna be stuck here forever._ She pulls out her phone to pass the time when she realizes- yeah, no service. She heaves a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, that checks out.” 

_Because why would there be cell service in the only town within twenty miles, right?_

Raelle leans her head back against the headrest with a groan, watching the road ahead for any sign of the bus, but all she sees are heat waves shining on the concrete in the distance- a constant reminder of just how fucking hot it is. Her mind wanders as she watches the rippling waves ahead of her dance. She wonders what this new girl will be like. She’s never heard of anybody named “Scylla,” so she assumes she isn’t friends with anyone Raelle knows. She must be someone Anacostia picked up somewhere, as she sometimes does. 

_I hope she’s hot-_

_Oh my god. Get it together. You’re gonna be coworkers. You gotta keep this shit professional._

Raelle drums her fingers on the steering wheel and shifts in her seat. It’s getting hot in the car- summer in the south is no joke, even at this elevation- and the humidity is killer. Raelle is beginning to consider getting out and walking to the small convenience store down the road just to enjoy the AC for a second when she sees the glinting of sunlight reflecting off the windshield of a large bus heading toward her.

_Oh, thank god. The bus is early for once._

Raelle gets out and leans against the side of her car- an ugly but reliable thing, the best her limited funds could afford- as the bus screeches to a stop. She realizes, then, that it might have been a good idea to have Anacostia give her a picture of the girl she is waiting for because she would _really_ rather not ask every single girl on this bus if her name is Scylla. Thankfully, though, only one girl gets off. 

It’s like everything happens in slow motion. Raelle is across the street so she doesn’t see her get off, but she sure as hell sees her as the bus pulls away. The motion of the bus leaving creates a breeze that blows her dark brown hair back from her face like some kind of super model and Raelle wonders what the fuck she’s doing here in Middle-of-Nowhere, North Carolina when she could be on a billboard somewhere looking like _that._ She laughs to herself because _hot_ doesn’t even begin to cover it. No, this girl is drop-dead _gorgeous_. 

_Oh god. I’m so fucked._ This is gonna be a really interesting summer.

The girl has a backpack over one shoulder and a suitcase by her side, so Raelle thinks it’s pretty safe to assume this is the girl she’s looking for. Scylla (she assumes) raises an eyebrow at her from across the street, a smirk spreading across her face as their eyes meet and _god damn it_ she just gets prettier. 

Raelle’s brain functioning thankfully recovers a little, so she returns the smirk.

“You Scylla?” The girl smiles and she starts to walk towards Raelle, her blue dress swaying with each step in a way that should be illegal. Raelle is really glad it’s not, though.

“That depends. Who’s asking?” _Ah, fuck. She’s smart too._

“The chauffeur Anacostia sent for you.” She laughs.

“I assume you’re Raelle, then?” she asks. Raelle grins.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Scylla shrugs the backpack off of her shoulder and Raelle moves to take it. “Here, let me get that.” 

She opens the trunk to help Scylla put her things away for the drive. Raelle tries to ignore it when their hands brush as Scylla gives Raelle her suitcase, but the tingling that won’t go away afterwards makes it hard.

“Thank you,” she says as Raelle shuts the trunk. “I _am_ Scylla, by the way.”

Raelle winks. “I noticed.”

They get in the car and Raelle immediately regrets not cleaning it up a bit. The dust from the drive there couldn’t have been helped, but she could have at least cleared the stuff off of the passenger seat. It’s not like she didn’t have time.

“Ah, shit. Sorry,” she mutters as she throws a book and a pair of hiking boots into the backseat before Scylla gets in.

“Don’t worry about it. It sounds like you weren’t expecting to pick me up.” She gives her an apologetic smile.

“Yeah. Anacostia did kinda spring it on me,” Raelle fumbles to clarify, “but I don’t mind.” 

_Nice save, dumbass. Real smoothe._

“I’m glad.” Raelle hazards a glance to her right and finds that Scylla is just as beautiful up close as she was across the street. Here, just a few inches away, she can make out the freckles that grace her bare shoulders and the delicate pink flush of her cheeks, courtesy of the summer heat. As her gaze moves up, Raelle meets Scylla’s eyes and- oh. They are the bluest thing Raelle has ever seen. Like, bluer than the ocean (or at least, the pictures Raelle has seen of it), bluer than the sky… Suddenly, Raelle has a new favorite color, and its source is currently giving her a vaguely puzzled look from across the console and she realizes she’s staring at this girl instead of driving like she’s supposed to be. She clears her throat, turning her focus to the road and hoping to god that Scylla can’t see her blush.

“So. Back to camp, yeah?”

“Unless there’s somewhere else you have in mind.” Her voice has a lilt to it that makes Raelle pause because- 

_Wait was that flirting?_

Raelle looks over one last time as she turns the keys in the ignition and sees Scylla giving her a sly smile. She shifts in her seat under the weight of her gaze.

“Yeah, uh. Back to camp then.”

* * *

Raelle drives for a while, but despite the low hum of the radio in the background, the silence is uncomfortable and she can’t resist the urge to talk to Scylla any longer.

“So, is this your first time at camp?” she asks. Scylla shakes her head.

“Not technically. I visited once, years ago, but I don’t remember much. I had completely forgotten about it until Anacostia reached out and asked if I wanted to help out this summer.”

“Oh nice. What’re you gonna be doing?”

“A little bit of everything, but mostly helping out Izadora in the art cabin. That’s where I’ll be staying.”

“Damn. I assumed you would be a counselor like the rest of us.”

“Ha, not quite. I love kids, but not enough to be on duty twenty four hours a day.”

“Yeah,” Raelle says, “it’s not for everyone.”

“I don’t know how you do it. Just you and eight kids day in and day out.”

“Hey, I got backup. There’s two counselors per cabin, sometimes three if you’re lucky.” Raelle laughs as she recalls her first summer. “And they’re good kids, I love them all to death.” Raelle can’t help but light up when she talks about the kids. Living with a group of kids for a week or two at a time, you get to know them really well. The best part is Raelle has been doing this for several years, so she’s gotten to see them grow up. It’s the most rewarding thing, and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“I can tell you care about them a lot.” Raelle keeps her eyes on the road but she can hear the smile in her voice.

“Just wait till you meet them, you’ll see.”

“I’m sure I will.”

The conversation lulls for a while as they head back to the camp, watching out the windshield as they wind around through hills and valleys, the trees getting denser and the sky less visible overhead. 

This time, Scylla breaks the silence.

“What do you do when you’re not at camp?”

“I’m in a pre med program up north. The city ain’t my favorite place to be but that’s where school is, so that’s where I gotta go.”

“Pre med? That’s impressive.” She turns her gaze back to Raelle. “I’ll guess you grew up nearby?”

“The accent give it away?” Raelle asks with a laugh. “But yeah, not too far. About an hour and a half west of here.” She glances over a Scylla, catching a flash of those gorgeous eyes. “How about you? Since we’re on the subject.”

“All over, really.” Scylla looks down, fidgeting with her hands. “But most recently, I’ve been at school in Salem.”

Raelle raises an eyebrow. “As in witch trials Salem?” Scylla nods.

“That’s the one.”

“Well, damn.”

“Yeah, a lot of history there. I’m going into my senior year, majoring in social science and minoring in studio art.”

“Dude, that’s awesome. I’d love to see what you make.” Out of the corner of her eye, Raelle sees Scylla look over at her with a smile.

“I’m more than happy to show you.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Raelle warns.

“I hope you do.” 

_Wait, what-_

It takes everything Raelle has to keep the car on the road and she thinks she hears Scylla snickering to herself, but when she hazards a glance her way Scylla just smiles innocently and returns her gaze to the road ahead of them.

The rest of the drive goes quickly and Raelle slows the car as they turn onto the camp’s road. 

“Home sweet home for the next two months,” she says as they drive by the field at the bottom of the mountain. She stops the car for a minute, pointing out some places Scylla will need to know. 

“There’s the art cabin, over there across the field. We come down here every day after lunch for arts and crafts and group games. That’s when you’ll have the most kids around.” 

It’s a large field and at the far side there’s a brightly painted cabin with picnic tables around it for campers to sit at while they work. 

“Back there,” Raelle points behind them, “is the farm. We try to grow as much of our own food as we can. Believe it or not, the kids love helping out.”

“It’s beautiful up here.”

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” Raelle says with a grin as she starts the car again. “Up here’s where the magic happens.” She continues on, expertly navigating the winding gravel road as it takes them up to the top of the mountain. When they get to the top, she parks outside of the dining hall again and gets out, making sure to open Scylla’s door for her and help her lift her bags out of the trunk. 

“Thank you.”

“Like I said, no problem. Do you know where you’re going?”

“Ah, no. I don’t.”

“I’ll show you.” Raelle leads the way to the lodge, explaining to Scylla as they walk past various wooden buildings. “Most of the camp is up here. We have the dining hall, the cabins, and all our head offices up here as well as the lodge. You’ll be staying down in the art cabin, right?” Scylla nods. “Damn. You get to walk all the way up here each morning, then.”

“That’s… unfortunate.” Raelle does not envy Scylla having to walk half a mile just to get breakfast.

“Yeah, a little bit,” she says. “It’ll wake you up, though. That’s for sure.”

“I guess it will,” Scylla says with a laugh.

Raelle stops them in front of their destination.

“Anyways, this is the lodge. Campers and counselors come here every morning after breakfast while everyone else sets up daytime activities. Anacostia’s office is here too, so you’ll probably be spending a lot of time here if you’re helping her out.” 

“That’s good to know.”

“She’s in here, helping with check-in,” Raelle says as she opens the door. After searching for a moment, she finds Anacostia at a desk handing out name tags. “Yeah, there she is.” She points her out for Scylla.

“Ah, I see her now.” She turns to Raelle. “Thank you. For picking me up, for showing me around, for everything. I look forward to getting to know you, Raelle.” 

“Oh- yeah, uh. Same, Scylla.” It’s barely a sentence, but it’s the best Raelle could manage and she hopes Scylla gets the idea.

Raelle watches her walk away and is surprised to find herself disappointed that Scylla won’t be another counselor with her, Abigail, and Tally. Scylla is enigmatic and Raelle wants to learn as much about her as possible, but as support staff, she probably won’t be able to spend much time with the counselors. 

As soon as she is out of sight, Raelle wants to see her again, and she sighs because she knows herself well enough to know what this means.

 _Well, shit. I might be attracted to my coworker._

This is bad. Really bad. 

_It’s only eight weeks. That’s two months. I can survive two months, right? How much can happen in two months?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am still very new to writing so if you have any feedback, thoughts, or suggestions feel free to leave a comment! Update will probably be slower now that I'm back at grad school full time but I will do my best. In the meantime, come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/Bookworm_Nina) or [tumblr](https://thatgayshit5.tumblr.com/). See y'all soon :)


	2. hold back the river, let me look in your eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaving cream, a bet, and eye contact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments on chapter one! I hope y'all like this one too. This chapter title is from Hold Back the River by James Bay. 
> 
> Also, I forgot to thank my friend Donna for reading everything I write over to make sure it isn't complete garbage. Without her this story would not exist, so thank you Donna!

Raelle hears Abigail before she sees her. Her friend is clearly upset about something- or, more likely, some _one_ because there’s only one person that gets this kind of reaction out of her- and Raelle listens in to what she is saying as she walks up the ramp to Circe Cabin.

“I just don’t get it. She’s been here for what, an hour? She couldn’t wait an _hour_?”

Raelle laughs to herself and enters the cabin with a smile. She already knows what to expect: Abigail is pacing back and forth, somehow avoiding the half-unpacked stuff spilling out of one of her two large suitcases haphazardly placed in the middle of the room. 

“I mean seriously, this is beyond childish. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore but somehow I am.”

“ _Libba_?” Raelle mouths over Abigail’s shoulder to Tally, who is seated on one of the bunk beds. Her friend nods to confirm her suspicion. 

“Sounds like someone’s got you all _worked up_ , Bells,” Raelle teases.

Abigail whirls around, greeting Raelle with a smile and rolling her eyes.

“Look who finally showed up.”

“Missed you too.” Raelle pulls her in for a quick hug. “Libba already givin’ you trouble?”

“Ugh, _yes._ She’s already done _that._ ” Abigail points out the window at the cabin next to them. Sure enough, the side of Rhea Cabin has a large sign on it.

_Welcome back, Bedwetter_ , the sign reads in hot pink glittery letters. It’s a little early in the summer for pranks to start, but it seems like Libba has decided to outdo herself this year.

“Well, this should be fun,” Raelle says as the three of them assess the damage. It might as well be a public declaration of war and retaliation is necessary, the sooner the better. Unfortunately, Raelle still has all of her unpacking to do, but she can still help brainstorm. 

It looks like Anacostia came through on her promise and she finds her bags and guitar case on the bunk bed below Tally’s. Raelle starts to unpack as they discuss their plans. Her mama’s quilt is the first thing to come out of the duffle bag and she carefully spreads it out on the small bed, taking time to smooth out the wrinkles.

“So, what’re we thinkin’?” Raelle asks as she works.

“Well, we don’t want to go too far since it’s only the first day.” Tally has her plotting face on, which can only spell trouble for Libba and whoever is helping her. Most assume that Tally is just a sweet girl, but it’s a fatal mistake, and one people only ever make once. Tally is very kind, it’s true, but she is also extremely good at strategy development. “We want to leave room to escalate. Maybe the old greasing the door handles to start? I’m sure the kitchen has some extra shortening.”

“That’s too tame,” Abigail muses as she takes a seat on her bunk across from Tally and Raelle. “We need something more public since apparently she’s not above that.”

“I have just the thing,” Tally says, her voice taking on a mischievous tone as Raelle hears her shuffle around in her backpack. She pulls something out, showing it to Abigail.

Abigail frowns. 

“Shaving cream? We can’t go for their shoes yet, it’s too soon.” 

“I wasn’t thinking about their shoes.” Raelle can hear Tally’s grin grow wider. “This needs to be visible to everyone.”

Raelle stands and peers over the railing to give her a quizzical look.

“Then what?” she asks and Abigail nods to second her question.

“Yeah, what were you thinking of instead?”

Tally leans forward with a wicked grin and whispers as if she was letting them in on a heavily guarded secret. “Their windows.”

“That’s diabolical,” Abigail laughs. “I love it.” 

“Perfect,” Tally confirms their plan with a nod. “We move at nightfall.” 

* * *

After planning their revenge and unpacking, the trio heads to the Lodge for Anacostia’s opening remarks and what Raelle is sure will be an exceedingly awkward series of icebreakers. Anacostia arranges them in a circle in the main room of the Lodge. It’s a large room with a vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the sea of trees below them. The beautiful view gives the space its affectionate nickname of “The Treehouse.” 

Despite how aesthetically pleasing the room is, Raelle can’t help but glower a little. This is her least favorite part of training week. She would rather march into battle completely unprepared with no backup than think up three random facts about herself. But, she knows that this is an important part of teamwork so she leans back on her hands with a sigh and settles into the circle, Tally and Abigail to her left.

“I could be wrong,” a lilting voice instantly grabs her attention, “but it seems like you aren’t particularly excited about this.” Raelle’s head snaps up so fast she almost gets whiplash. She thinks even if she did it would have been worth it, though, because Scylla is gracefully lowering herself down to sit in the empty space to her right. She’s changed, Raelle notices, from the dress she was wearing earlier into a simple pair of shorts and a tank top. A pity, Raelle thinks despite her best efforts, but much more practical. It takes her a second to register that Scylla is still talking. “Is it alright if I sit with you? I don’t really know anyone else...”

“No, no- I mean, yes. Don’t worry about it.” _God, why doesn’t my brain work around her?_ “And yeah,” Raelle adds, “icebreakers aren’t really my favorite.”

“What’s not to love?” Scylla asks with a knowing smile and a raised eyebrow. “Sitting in awkward silence and being put on the spot are two of my favorite hobbies.”

Raelle laughs and it seems to get Abigail’s attention. She turns to look at Scylla.

“You must be the new girl Anacostia sent Rae to pick up.” Scylla looks past Raelle to look at Abigail.

“Yes, thank you for letting me borrow her. I’m Scylla.” Tally and Abigail take turns shaking hands with Scylla as Raelle introduces them.

“Scylla, meet Abigail and Tally: the best co-counselors you could ask for and also the biggest pains in my ass.” 

Abigail rolls her eyes. “Ignore her, she’s exaggerating. She loves us.”

“Sure I do.” Raelle’s voice is laced with sarcasm but there’s a playful smile on her face; Abigail _is_ right, after all. 

“Rae,” Tally pipes up, “I hate to tell you, but you _did_ just compliment us.”

“A mistake I won’t make again, I guess.”

“She doesn’t mean that,” Abigail leans over Raelle to say to Scylla as she gives Raelle a playful shove. 

Scylla laughs. “It’s nice to meet you, ladies,” she says with an amused smile.

Another voice interrupts their banter, loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

“Ugh, does anyone else smell garbage?”

Raelle feels Abigail bristle next to her. Her friend slowly stands, walking with purpose and poise toward the doorway where Libba Swythe and Beth Treefine have just appeared. 

“Oh boy, here we go,” Raelle mutters to Scylla. The brunette leans her head close to Raelle’s as they watch Abigail and Libba spit insults back and forth at each other.

“What’s their deal?” Scylla asks after a moment.

Raelle shakes her head. “Not totally sure, supposedly their families have a lot of history. They’ve always been like this, though. Honestly, we’re not sure if they’re fucking or hate each other’s guts. Could be both.”

“Hm.” Scylla observes them for a little while longer, a slight furrow between her brows. If Raelle thinks it’s cute, she tries not to notice. “Okay, they’ve definitely hooked up at least once.” Raelle cocks her head and looks at Scylla.

“You think so?”

Scylla nods. “For sure. That kind of passion doesn’t come from hatred alone.” 

“Fair enough.” Raelle sighs. “Maybe this will be the year we can finally call the bet.”

“There’s a bet?”

“Of course. Gotta get entertainment up here somehow, and they provide _plenty_.” Scylla lets out a light chuckle and Raelle looks over at her. “You seem pretty confident. You should get in on it.”

“I will. Trust me, I’m an _excellent_ judge of these things.” The look she gives Raelle is so intense she thinks it would knock her on her ass if she wasn’t already sitting down. 

_Okay, get it together. You can do this. Sure, your incredibly attractive coworker is looking at you like she wants to eat you but this is totally fine and not an issue at all. Flirt back, damn it._

“Oh yeah?” Raelle steels herself for a moment, wondering if she is really going to go for this. “Tell me-”

“Ladies,” a stern voice interrupts her and Raelle internally groans. 

_Fuck._

Anacostia has the absolute _worst_ timing. The room falls silent as Anacostia walks into the middle of the circle and even Abigail and Libba stop their bickering and scurry to their seats.

“I trust you are all settling in well. There is something I would like to go over before we get to work.” She turns, looking over the group as she continues. “I would like to talk to you about relationships.”

A murmur echoes through the room with a few snickers here and there, but Anacostia silences them with a raised hand. When the room is quiet again, she continues.

“I find it is best to be blunt and honest about this topic. There will be a lot of… energy, around this place over the next two months. I advise that you be smart about what you do with it. You are a group of young people in close quarters with each other and I by no means expect you to avoid becoming intimate, but I ask that you try to keep the drama out of it. I expect all of you to stay mature and professional no matter what should happen between you. Is that understood?”

The assembled girls all murmur _yes_ and Anacostia nods.

“Good. If an issue does occur, you can be sure that I will speak to you about it. Now, let’s get to know each other…”

The following icebreakers are the usual series of games and team building activities that Raelle hates, but they’re a little less painful because she spends the entire time watching Scylla and learning all she can. Maybe it’s a little creepy, how her eyes are constantly drawn to the brunette and she instinctually seeks her out in the crowd, but she can’t stop herself. 

Scylla doesn’t seem to want to share too much about herself, and she doesn’t tell everyone much beyond what she has already told Raelle- interested in social science and studio art, lives in Salem- but Raelle does learn a few new things. Things like her favorite color is blue and she has a collection of mushroom keychains at home (weird, but endearing, Raelle thinks). It just makes her want to know more.

* * *

After they finish Anacostia’s exhaustive list of activities they break for dinner, Scylla falling in step with Raelle as they walk to the dining hall.

“So, was it as painful as you thought it would be?” Scylla asks.

“Honestly? It coulda been way worse. Don’t tell Abigail and Tally I said that, though.” Scylla meets Raelle’s eyes with a soft smile.

“Your secret is safe with me,” she says and Raelle knows they’re joking around but still she thinks she would trust Scylla with any of her secrets. She shakes her head to clear the thought away and shoots Scylla a cocky grin.

“Thanks. I got a reputation to protect, you know.”

Abigail and Tally catch up with them then and they find a table in the dining hall. The space is big with long tables dividing up the room; banners displaying the values of Camp Demeter hang from the exposed beams above their heads. It gives off a homey, welcoming atmosphere that always brings a smile to Raelle’s face and she is excited to notice that it does the same for Scylla. Raelle watches with a contented smile as she cranes her head to take it all in, and she is surprised to find that she really wants Scylla to like everything about the camp. _Huh. Weird._

Raelle feels a slight nudge on her arm and she turns slightly to find Abigail and Tally giving her suspicious looks with raised eyebrows. She shuts them down with a quick glare and shake of her head. Not here and not now, she can answer her friends’ questions later.

They chat and eat, hungry after a long afternoon of moving in and getting to know each other. It wasn’t particularly physical, but still it was exhausting work and they are grateful that the kitchen has made an impressive spread of food for them. 

When Abigail gets up to get seconds, Raelle decides it’s now or never as she takes the chance to lean across the table.

“Hey, Tal,” she whispers. Tally leans in to meet her.

“What’s up?”

“Scylla wants in on the Libbagail bettin’ pool.”

Scylla interjects with an incredulous laugh. “Wait, you have a _name_ for them?”

Raelle nods. “I told you, we need entertainment up here. No internet, no cell service, we do what we gotta do.”

“Okay, makes sense.” Scylla turns back to Tally. “But yes, twenty dollars says they’re hooking up.”

Tally grins and shakes her hand. “You’re on, Scylla.”

“Scylla’s on for what?” Abigail takes her seat next to Tally, across the table from Raelle and Scylla. 

“The bet on whether or not you and Libba are a thing,” Raelle answers. Abigail refuses to acknowledge that the bet is real and at this point the denial is borderline ridiculous. Out of respect for the pretense, though, they try to avoid actually making bets in front of Abigail.

“Ugh.” Abigail rolls her eyes and gags. “You know I would never touch that sea hag.”

“Keep sayin’ that, maybe one day we’ll believe you.” Abigail gives her a quick kick under the table.

“Shut up, shitbird.”

Raelle casually salutes her friend across the table. “Your wish is my command, your highness.”

* * *

After dinner and some down time to finish settling in they head down to the field for closing ceremony, the final activity of the night. Each night, everyone on site gathers for an activity meant to wind down and give campers and staff alike time to center themselves after the long day. Raelle thinks it’s a little weird at times, but she likes it. 

Tonight, though, might break her.

“We’re doing the _eye contact exercise_?” She whispers to Abigail. They’re gathered in the middle of the field, the late evening sun fading by the second.

“From what I’ve heard, yeah.”

“ _Fuck._ ” The eye contact exercise is intense and Raelle usually struggles with it. Eye contact is hard enough but holding it for an extended period of time is even harder.

“What is up with you?” Abigail asks, a concerned frown on her face. “You’ve been so jumpy.”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Suit yourself,” she says as they turn their attention to Anacostia. 

The camp director is standing in front of the cluster of counselors and staff, Izadora and Nurse Wick behind her. Anacostia takes a step forward.

“Tonight, our closing ceremony is intended to bring us closer together. This summer, we will all rely heavily on each other, and that requires trust and a good amount of connection. The connections that you make with each other will help you become stronger leaders, and that process starts now. Ladies, close your eyes.”

Raelle takes a deep breath and reluctantly does as she is told.

“Wick, Izadora, and I will be leading you to a partner. We are pairing up new staff with old staff, so please do not complain about not being paired with your friend.”

Oh shit. Doing this with Tally or Abigail would be manageable, but someone entirely new would be a disaster. _Unless it was Scylla_ , she thinks, but that seems like too much to hope for. Izadora had pulled the other girl aside after dinner to go over some details and Raelle is pretty sure that she won’t be joining them. 

Raelle sighs and accepts her fate as she waits with her eyes closed for a moment before she feels a gentle touch on her shoulder. She lets herself be guided a few steps to the left and she slowly shuffles there, arriving a few seconds later. The hand that guided her disappears after a second and she is left alone. It’s uncomfortable, standing there out in the open with her eyes closed. She tries to calm her nerves and instead focuses on the crisp evening air, the faint breeze that whispers through her hair, the chorus of cicadas and crickets that rises and falls as she waits. It helps to relax her and she’s just starting to adjust when she _feels_ it.

It’s almost like a tug, how her senses light up and she is inexplicably drawn to whoever is approaching her. They stop in front of Raelle and the effect is instant. Her heart starts racing and she swears there’s fire running through her veins and she knows without a doubt who is in front of her before she even opens her eyes, even if she hardly dares to hope. She feels it in her presence, hears it in the other girl’s quiet breaths, _knows_ it with such certainty that it may as well be the last true thing in the universe. 

_Scylla._ Raelle has no idea when or how she got here, but it’s her. Without a doubt.

The same woman- Izadora, it had to be- that guided her there joins her hands with Scylla’s.

“Stay here, I will tell you what to do once everyone is situated.” Raelle barely registers her words; she’s too busy panicking because she is _holding Scylla’s hands_ and really, how can she be expected to focus on anything else? The other girl’s hands are a little smaller than her own and Raelle tries not to think about how they fit perfectly together because it is entirely too early to be having thoughts like _that_. It’s far too early to be having any of the feelings she’s having, honestly, but Raelle is a go hard or go home type of girl and apparently that’s not about to change now. 

They stand in silence, eyes closed as the rest of the staff are paired up and by the time Izadora speaks again, Raelle is almost quivering with anticipation.

“Alright, everyone now has a partner. Tonight, we are going to be doing an eye contact exercise. You are to hold your partner’s hands and try to keep eye contact for five minutes. This will be hard. Awkward, even. And most likely, uncomfortable. The most I ask of you is that you try. You might laugh, you might cry, you might feel a lot of emotions, and that is okay. You may speak to your partner if you need to, but try to keep it to a minimum. If it is too uncomfortable for you, you may be excused, but I would like everyone to at least give it a shot. Okay?” The group murmurs a collective _yes_. “Good, let’s get started. Open your eyes.”

Raelle slowly blinks her eyes open and raises them up and _oh_. The deep sea of blue is back and more vibrant than ever. Scylla is gazing at her with all the intensity in the world and Raelle suddenly realizes that five minutes of looking at what could only be a god damn _siren_ might just drive her insane because there’s no way a mere mortal girl like herself can withstand _that_. 

_All things considered_ , she thinks, _that might not be the worst fate_.

Gazing into Scylla’s eyes is overwhelming. It feels like Scylla is looking through Raelle and straight into her soul, leaving her bare and vulnerable, seeing all the parts of her that not even Raelle is ready to look at yet. 

_Usually I appreciate a date before getting intimate, but I can make an excuse for her._

The thought is so unexpected Raelle lets out a small chuckle. In response, Scylla’s eyes crinkle a little around the edges as she smiles. Raelle knows that this is supposed to be an eye contact exercise, but who could blame her for letting her gaze wander for a second over the rest of this beautiful girl’s face? She drinks in the little details- the moles and freckles, the slight smile lines, her perfectly pink lips that Raelle definitely does _not_ linger on- before returning to the sapphire gaze watching her. Scylla is smirking at her now and Raelle swears this girl must be trying to kill her as she leans in just a tiny bit closer.

“See something you like?” Scylla whispers and Raelle thinks her heart is beating so loud Scylla must hear it. All of a sudden thinking is hard and she swallows thickly, trying to remind herself how to make sounds but all she can think of is how bad she wants to kiss the girl in front of her and that is the one thing she _can’t_ do. So, she’s stuck with the world’s most pathetic whispered response.

“Uh. Yeah, I think so.” 

_Oh my god. Abigail is never gonna let me live this down._

“Collar, Ramshorn, focus.”

Raelle rolls her eyes at Anacostia’s reprimand and Scylla practically _giggles_. Her eyes light up and Raelle is amazed at how they went from suave and entirely too seductive a moment ago to full of light and playful joy now. She thinks that whoever said that eyes were the window to the soul might have been right because she feels something growing between them. It’s as if a link is forming, some kind of resonance between the two of them that allows Raelle a glimpse into who Scylla is, all of her energy and intense passion and a hint of a deep sadness that Raelle knows all too well. She’s not sure how much time passes as the world around them fades until it’s just her and Scylla and the pure, raw energy that seems to flow freely through their linked hands. It’s new and wild and untamed and feels absolutely exhilarating and she can tell from the way Scylla’s eyes are locked on hers like she might die if they separated that she feels it too. Raelle has no idea what is happening, but she knows she would do anything to make it go on forever, spend the rest of her life with this fire in her veins and the world in her hands and the sunset painting the sky above their heads. 

A minute could have passed, or an eternity; she doesn’t know and she doesn’t care, and she can’t help but feel disappointed when Izadora tells them that their time is up. 

She struggles to think of what to say as the eye contact finally breaks and she looks down, but Scylla beats her to it.

“Wow.” It’s whispered, so quiet Raelle wouldn’t have heard it if they weren’t so close.

“Yeah.” She nods, trying to find the words for what just happened. “That was…” _Earth shattering? Mind blowing? The most unforgettable experience of my life?_

“Amazing?” Scylla offers with a smile.

“Yeah,” Raelle looks down at their still joined hands, “amazing.” Scylla gives her hands a squeeze before letting them go and Raelle feels a twinge at their loss as they head back to the group for the rest of closing ceremony. Izadora leads them through some debriefing and relaxation exercises, but Raelle doesn’t know how she’s supposed to focus on anything else after an experience like _that._ She can feel Scylla glancing at her and she’s helpless to stop herself from returning the looks with a grin. The surreptitious glances and hidden smiles feel like they’re sharing a secret, the moment they just shared still fresh in their minds and the meaning behind it full of unspoken potential. 

Raelle has no idea what just happened or where things with Scylla are going, but she is _very_ excited to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure: the eye contact exercise is extremely uncomfortable and I took many liberties here. When I did it I spent most of the time laughing and it was not fun. That being said, given Raelle's thing for Scylla's eyes I had to make them do it.
> 
> If you enjoyed this or have any thoughts or feedback, feel free to leave a comment or kudos! I would love to know what you think. Also, if you would like, come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/Bookworm_Nina) or [tumblr](https://thatgayshit5.tumblr.com/). See y'all soon!


	3. bright morning stars are rising/day is breaking in my soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training week comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May I offer you some fluff and unit unity shenanigans in this trying time?
> 
> Chapter title is from "Bright Morning Stars." It's an Appalachian hymn and there are a lot of different versions, but the one by Misty River is very pretty :)

The walk back up the mountain is quiet, a temporary bit of mercy Raelle’s friends offer her graciously for the fifteen minutes it takes to get back to their cabin. As soon as they arrive back at Circe, though, Abigail immediately turns to Raelle, demanding to be filled in on what is going on.

“So,” she fixes Raelle with a careful look, “you and Scylla?”

Raelle rolls her eyes. She knew it was only a matter of time before they had this conversation.

“Yeah, me and Scylla.” She takes a seat on her bunk and Tally and Abigail settle onto Abigail’s. They seem to wait for Raelle to elaborate but when she is silent, Tally pushes her a little further.

“What exactly happened on that car ride…?”

“I mean, we talked.” Abigail raises an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. “ She flirted a little?” Raelle adds, hoping that will satisfy her.

Abigail scoffs. “Could have fooled me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Raelle asks, kicking her shoes off and leaning back against the wall.

“Let me put it this way,” Abigail explains, “no one thinks that car ride was innocent. The looks you were giving each other tonight told a _very_ different story.”

“We _just_ met. What the hell.” The rumor mill here is no joke. _Gotta get entertainment somehow_ , Raelle reminds herself.

“Hey, I didn’t say it made sense. Just that you two clearly want to fuck each other’s brains out.” Well, that’s one way to put it.

“ _Abigail._ ”

“She’s not wrong, Raelle,” Tally says with a knowing smile.

Raelle leans her head against the wall, rubbing her face in exasperation. “Oh god, not you too.”

“It’s true!” Tally laughs. “You could cut the tension with a knife, Rae. A _knife._ Anyone could feel it.” 

Raelle sighs.

_Okay, this conversation is over._

“Nothin’ happened, y’all know I would tell you if it did. And anyway, don’t we have a prank to work on?” It’s a desperate attempt to draw the attention away from herself, but it does the trick and Abigail jumps to action. 

“Yes, we do. Are their lights out yet?”

Tally glances out the window. “They’re turning them off now.”

“Let me see.” Abigail walks to the window, conveniently situated so they have a perfect view into Rhea Cabin. Raelle joins her, watching as Libba and the other girls in her cabin turn off the lights and get into bed, blissfully unaware of their neighbors plotting against them. She shares a grin with Abigail and Tally; the suspense and slight sense of danger is exhilarating. 

“How long should we wait?” Tally asks.

Raelle thinks for a second. “Gotta give it at least an hour. We should make sure they’re asleep before we head in, don’t want ‘em to wake up when we get over there. That could go south real easy.” No one needs a repeat of one of Abigail and Libba’s legendary screaming matches when they’re trying to sleep.

The wait is tedious and Raelle spends most of it fidgeting and dodging Abigail and Tally’s questions about Scylla.

The problem is, there’s not much to tell. They just met today and while Raelle is certain _something_ is there, technically all that has happened is some flirting, and some seriously intense eye contact. And yet it feels like so much more than that. All Raelle knows is that she desperately wants to see Scylla again and it can’t happen soon enough.

“Rae.” Raelle looks up from her bed where she was resting, raising an eyebrow at Tally. “You ready?”

“Hell yeah.” Tally tosses her a can of shaving cream and she grins, giving the metal cylinder a good shake. “Let’s do this.”

It goes well. They cover the cabin’s windows in shaving cream, effectively blocking any kind of view and generally creating a giant mess for Libba and Beth to wake up to. The cleanup will be a tedious task, but the prank is harmless and in accordance with the unspoken rule of their ongoing competition: no permanent damage. Of course, Abigail couldn’t pass up the chance to write _Take that, Libwit_ in shaving cream on the porch too, but that’s to be expected. 

* * *

Raelle wakes up to yelling and immediately grumbles, pulling her pillow over her head and burrowing deeper into the quilt covering her, desperately trying to return to the blissful rest she was enjoying until just a few seconds ago. It had been so nice, the best night’s sleep she’d gotten in weeks. She groans, rolling over and chasing the last bits of sleep before consciousness takes over and she fully wakes up. A peaceful sense of security and the faint memory of dark hair and deep blue tickle the edge of her consciousness, tempting her to close her eyes and- _damn it Abigail would you shut the fuck up._

“Have a good first night back, Swythe?” Abigail’s voice is laced with self-satisfaction as it filters through the walls to reach her ears and despite her fatigue, Raelle allows a small smile as she remembers their success last night. Libba must have noticed it, then. Good.

“You are _malice_ , Abigail.” 

_Who the hell has the energy to be this petty so early in the morning?_

Raelle heaves a sigh and sits up with a yawn, wrapping the quilt around her shoulders because clearly _someone_ isn’t going to let her get any more sleep this morning. She gets up to find Abigail on their porch, Libba staring her down from Rhea Cabin’s deck opposite theirs. Raelle leans against the door frame because if she has to listen to this, she might as well get the full experience and watch it too. Tally joins them a second later, sending Raelle a questioning glance. She responds with a shrug and they return their attention to the scene unfolding before them.

“An insult from a Swythe is a compliment to a Bellweather. You should know that, Libba. Or are you out of practice?” Even from a distance, Raelle can see Libba’s jaw clenching as she comes up with a response.

“Not at all, just waiting for a worthy opponent to show up since you’re clearly not up for the task.” Abigail scoffs.

“I’d say we’ve one-upped you, judging by the state of your cabin.” Abigail crosses her arms over her chest, looking over their work from last night with pride. “You should get on that, we have inspection in half an hour.”

“What, this? This is _nothing._ ” Libba laughs. “You’re off your game, Abigail.”

“Then why don’t you show me something better? It’s rude to leave a girl waiting.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Bedwetter,” Libba growls. “We’ll get you back.”

“I’d like to see you try.” At that, Libba turns on her heel, marching back into her cabin and slamming the door behind her. Abigail watches her the entire time, a look on her face that Raelle can’t place, and she remembers what Scylla said. _That kind of passion doesn’t come from hatred alone._ Huh. Maybe there’s some truth to that. But that’s a thought for another time, preferably when she has been awake longer than five minutes and has recovered at least moderate brain functioning. Right now, all Raelle can think to do is make her displeasure known.

“Bells,” Abigail turns to Raelle. She seems surprised, as if she’s just now noticing her for the first time this morning. “I’m goin’ out on a limb here, but do you think _maybe_ next time y’all could refrain from yellin’ until _after_ 6:30 in the _goddamn morning_?”

-

The next several days pass slowly in a haze of boredom, first aid training, camp set up, and explanations of camp policies. It’s all necessary stuff, but it’s also dry as hell and to make matters worse Raelle hardly sees Scylla at all. Izadora keeps pulling her away to work on preparation for camp because apparently taking inventories of art supplies is an extensive process. It’s borderline criminal how many times she and Scylla have spotted each other and started a conversation, only to have Izadora or Anacostia pull one of them away. Despite the inconvenience, though, Raelle tries to catch Scylla whenever she can because she’ll be damned if she ever misses even one chance to talk to this girl. 

Scylla is the most amazing girl Raelle has ever met. She’s smart, funny, _gorgeous_ , perfect in every way and Raelle can’t get enough. Unfortunately, Tally and Abigail have noticed Raelle’s quick descent into crush territory and the teasing has been relentless. By the last night of training week, Raelle needs to take some time to herself to clear her head. 

It’s dark out; the sun has long since set and technically she’s out past curfew, but Raelle needs this and she knows Camp Demeter well enough to get away with it.

Raelle climbs a set of steps, following the familiar staircase up to one of her favorite places at camp. The Tower stands tall above the rest of the camp; situated on the highest part of the mountain its open air roof provides a breathtaking view of the camp and the surrounding mountains in the daytime. At night, though, it’s the perfect place to hide from the rest of the world. It’s quiet and peaceful, a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of daily camp life. Raelle loves coming up here after a long day with nothing but her and the sky, an endless sea of stars above her that wink and glitter as if they have a life of their own. They make her feel a little less alone. 

She’s standing at the railing, lost in thought and looking out at the darkened landscape when a creak on the stairs behind her makes her jump. She turns to find Scylla watching her. The brunette has thrown on a sweatshirt to ward off the chill that creeps in at night and she fiddles with the sleeves as she approaches.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She joins Raelle. “Tally said you would be up here.”

“‘S okay.” Raelle glances over, a small smirk on her lips. “A little surprise never hurt no one.”

Scylla laughs, ducking her head. She looks up, taking in the view in front of them. “It’s beautiful up here.”

“Yeah.” Raelle pulls away from the railing, offering a hand to Scylla. “Let me show you somethin'?”

“Of course.” Raelle guides her to the opposite side of the roof, keeping Scylla’s hand in hers because she’s not ready to lose the warmth that the small point of contact gives her. “If you look this way,” she points east, “you can see the town. That’s where I picked you up.” 

There’s a small cluster of bright lights in the distance and Scylla gazes at it. Raelle gives her a moment before gently taking her waist and turning her to face south and just the tiniest bit west. 

“But my favorite thing is that on clear nights like tonight, you can see all the way to Atlanta.” Raelle should be focusing on the words she’s saying, or what they’re looking at, but instead she’s relishing how warm and solid and _right_ Scylla’s waist feels under her palms. With the way that Scylla leans back into her touch, though, Raelle thinks she might not mind.

“Really?” She asks, as if she isn’t driving Raelle crazy without even trying. “That’s over a hundred miles away.”

Raelle swallows, trying to force herself to focus on the conversation and not how intoxicatingly close Scylla is to her right now.

“Yeah, see that out there?” She points again, this time at fainter pinpricks of light, the only signs of the busy metropolis all those miles away. “That’s Atlanta.”

“Wow,” Scylla breathes.

Raelle watches Scylla as she admires the view, taking in the sky above them and the lights of the city in the distance. She looks so beautiful here, her silhouette outlined against the night sky with the stars as her backdrop, sparkling behind her. Raelle is torn because she is so inexplicably drawn to this girl, but that shouldn’t be possible after only knowing her for five days. And yet, every cell in her body screams to be near her, to talk to her, to _touch_ her and Raelle wants it- _god_ , she wants it- but she knows if she starts something now she won’t be able to stop. She will fall in love and that is definitely _not_ on her “to do” list this summer. And especially not with a girl who lives _hundreds of miles away_. So, she’s torn.

Not that Scylla’s helping her situation at all.

“I never knew there were this many stars,” The way she whispers it, it sounds like a confession. “I’ve always lived in big cities, I’ve never seen anything like… like this.” She’s got a look of wonder on her face, her eyes wide to take in the great expanse of sky above her as she turns, trying to see it all.

“It sure is somethin’, isn’t it?” It’s like they’re on top of the world, just the two of them, and damn it Scylla makes not falling for her _really_ hard. “I used to come up here a lot, my first summer.” Raelle admits and she moves to sit down, her back against the railing as she looks up at the stars. Scylla joins her, tilting her head back and leaning it against a post behind her. 

“Yeah?” Raelle wonders for a second if she should open up about her mama because talking about a dead parent isn’t exactly the best way to score the ladies but-

_Fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen?_

“Yeah, I uh. My first summer here, my mama had just died and I was a hot mess.” Raelle lets out a dry laugh. “Still am, Abi would say, but it was worse then. But I liked comin’ up here and talkin’ to her. My mama, I mean. I thought… maybe the stars would listen, pass the message along, ya know? Kinda stupid, but it made me feel a little better.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid.” Scylla’s voice has gone soft, none of the usual playful tone or teasing lilt color her voice. Instead, she hugs her knees to her chest and rests her chin on them, staring straight ahead as she talks. “I lost my parents when I was very young. At night, when everyone else was asleep, I used to talk to the moon.” She pauses, taking a breath before continuing. “I got moved around a lot, from foster home to foster home, but no matter where I went, the moon was always there.” She glances over at Raelle, offering her a slight, sad smile. “Not the stars, but close.” 

Instantly, Raelle understands why she recognized the sadness in Scylla’s eyes that first night. It’s the same loss, the same pain that she felt- _still_ feels- and something in her burns to try to make Scylla feel better. She tentatively reaches an arm out, gently rubbing Scylla’s back in an effort to offer comfort in a way that her words could not. Scylla takes the unspoken offer and leans a little closer, letting her head fall onto Raelle’s shoulder with a quiet sigh. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sure they heard you,” Raelle says.

Scylla lifts her head up and turns to face Raelle and _oh no, suddenly they are very close._ So close that Raelle can count the miniscule freckles on Scylla’s nose despite the darkness, see every lash that delicately frames the eyes that Raelle just recently learned she would like to drown in. Scylla searches her face for- something, Raelle isn't sure what. 

“Thank you,” Scylla murmurs, and she’s close enough that her breath ghosts over Raelle’s lips and her hand is gently caressing her cheek- when did it get there?- and she traces the line of the scar on Raelle’s chin. Scylla's eyes dart down to her lips and Raelle thinks for a split second that maybe this isn’t the _best_ idea she’s ever had, but how could she regret it when Scylla is looking at her like that? Like they’re the only people in the universe, like Raelle had personally hung all the stars in the sky above them just for her?

She would, if only she knew how.

Scylla’s eyes slip shut and Raelle leans in a _little bit closer-_

“Shitbird! Are you up here?” Abigail’s voice crashes into them like a freight train from the bottom of the stairs, shattering the previous quiet. Everything comes screeching painfully to a halt and Raelle groans, pulling away from Scylla even though it is the very last thing she wants to do. She glares at the stairs.

“I’m gonna _kill_ Abigail…” Raelle growls. She would do quite literally anything just to spend another minute here with Scylla, but the moment is gone. Scylla smiles at her and lets out a small, quiet laugh as they hear Abigail begin climbing up the stairs.

“Shall we put a pin in this?” She asks as she stands, offering a hand to Raelle.

“Yeah,” Raelle takes her hand and allows Scylla to help her up. “I think I’d like that.”

“Good.” Scylla brushes past her, planting a kiss to her cheek. She stops at the tops of the stairs, sending the cockiest smile Raelle has ever seen over her shoulder before disappearing into the stairwell. Raelle blinks owlishly after her, trying to force her brain to work as she struggles to process what just happened. She tries to fight the glowing warmth in her chest, but something in her knows it's pointless.

_God, I’m so fucked._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, everyone really said fuck curfew huh.  
> I hope y'all liked this chapter. Thanks, as always, to Donna for reading this over. I made some last minute changes that she couldn't review so any stupid mistakes are my own and I'm sorry. Thank you all for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. Hopefully I will see you soon!


	4. show me yours and I'll show you mine/meet me in the woods tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner, failure to meditate, and paintings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from "Meet Me in the Woods" by Lord Huron. As always, thank you Donna for reading this over and listening to all of my ideas.  
> Hope y'all enjoy!

The next day brings the first set of campers. Camp starts with two weeks of elementary level campers, ages eight to twelve. Raelle, Tally, and Abigail stay in Circe with a nice cabin of eight year old girls. They’re sweet, if a little energetic, and Raelle loves them. They’re good kids, and it’s common knowledge that although Raelle acts all tough, she has a serious soft spot for the kids. She would do anything for them, quite literally. Including but not limited to carrying a girl a mile up the mountain because she twisted her ankle and while Raelle couldn’t fix it, she could damn well make sure that kid got up the mountain in as little pain as possible. She _does_ ignore Abigail boasting about it at dinner and rubbing it in Libba’s face. 

Or at least, she tries.

“Raelle was so strong today, wasn’t she?” Abigail is talking to their cabin’s table but her eyes are on Libba, staring her down at the table across from theirs, voice purposefully loud enough to easily be heard.

“Yeah!” They haven’t _stopped_ singing her praises for the past hour and Raelle is getting very tired of it. All she did was carry a kid who got hurt. It’s nothing groundbreaking.

_And yet, here we are._

"She carried me so far! It was awesome!” Maya is beaming as she recounts the story to the other girls, even though they were all there to watch it happen.

“Raelle, can I be next tomorrow?” Raelle turns to her right to find Riley looking at her expectantly.

Raelle takes one look at the girl’s wide brown eyes, full of hope and excitement, and knows her badass reputation is toast. The girls already have her waking up half an hour early to braid their hair every morning, there’s no way she’s coming out of this summer with her reputation intact.

Raelle smiles. “Yeah, of course, Riley.” Saying no was never an option.

“Yay!” She turns to the rest of the table, excitement clear on her face and in her voice. “Did you guys hear that? I’m next!” The table explodes with excitement and with the girls distracted, Abigail turns to Raelle, a sly smile on her face.

“Oh, how the mighty fall.”

Raelle rolls her eyes, a tired smile on her face. “Shut up, Bells,” she says, but with no bite to the words. 

“I’m just saying,” Abigail shrugs, “it seems like your heart is growing, Rae.”

“Huh,” Raelle scoffs. “As if.” Abigail nods.

“Oh wait; that’s right. You _still-_ ” she punctuates with a poke to Raelle’s side _-_ “haven’t made a move on Scylla.”

Raelle rolls her eyes again. This is getting _really_ old.

She leans in a little closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“You know, Abigail, it’s not your job to ride me.”

“I sure wish _someone_ was,” Abigail whispers back with a single suggestive brow raised.

“Oh yeah? And whose fault is _that?_ ” 

“I already said I’m sorry!”

“ _Sure_ you are. Interruptin’ me and then critiquing my lack of progress. Makes about as much sense as you and Libba pretendin’ to hate each other.”

“I said what I said.”

“We’ll see how long that attitude lasts,” Abigail says with a nod towards the door.

“Huh...?” Raelle asks, but then she sees _her_ and the sound dies in her throat as her mouth goes dry. 

Things with Scylla have been… difficult. Since camp started, the action has been nonstop and it’s been a struggle to even catch a breath, let alone pick up where they left off. The most interaction they’ve had has been down at the field while the kids are working on projects and it’s not like that leaves much room for flirting, let alone what Raelle _really_ wants to do. Her imagination has no problem filling in the gaps, though, which is a blessing and a curse. 

Still, Scylla has this amazing ability to drive Raelle absolutely insane with the most innocent-seeming gestures and at this point Raelle is getting pretty desperate. It’s only a matter of time before a slight brush against her shoulder or a quiet whisper in her ear finally makes her combust in a blaze of pent-up frustration.

It’s hard to miss how Scylla’s eyes search across the dining hall, only to stop as they make contact with Raelle’s and a smile takes over her face as she makes her way to the empty seat on Raelle’s left.

“Hello, ladies,” she addresses the table of campers. “May I join you?” She waits patiently for a response and it’s such a simple gesture but the amount of respect Scylla always has for the kids makes Raelle’s heart flutter a little. Of course, the girls absolutely _adore_ her and it’s hardly even worth asking when the answer will always be an emphatic _yes_ , but the thought is sweet. 

With the table’s permission, Scylla gracefully takes the seat next to Raelle.

“So, what did you all do today?” She asks the table full of girls.

“Raelle carried me back up the mountain ‘cause I hurt my ankle. It was awesome!”

“Oh, wow.” Concern coats Scylla's voice and she glances at Raelle, Abigail, and Tally. “Is it okay now?” She asks.

“Yeah, it feels better now.” Maya brushes the concern off, much more excited about getting carried than she was upset by her twisted ankle. “I’m so excited for tomorrow, I’m gonna…” Maya turns to the other girls and they lean their heads together, already discussing their plans for the next day. 

Scylla turns to Raelle and her tone drops, suddenly sweet as honey and just as tempting. The change is instantaneous and intoxicating and Raelle unconsciously shifts a little closer.

“Carried her all the way up the mountain, huh?” Scylla asks.

“Ah, yeah.” Raelle looks down, pushing some peas around her plate with her fork. “It’s no big deal, I just-”

“I wish I could have been there to see it.” Scylla’s voice is hushed but the implications of her words are loud and clear.

“Oh yeah?” Raelle gives in, putting her fork down and turning to face Scylla fully. She smiles slowly, now that she has Raelle’s undivided attention. 

“Mhm.” Her hand comes up to the table and her pinkie just barely brushes Raelle’s wrist, but it’s enough to make Raelle blush, because apparently everything Scylla does has this effect on her. “There are a _lot_ of things I want to see.” She looks Raelle up and down, seeming to appreciate what little is revealed by the tank top and shorts she’s wearing. 

After a week of practice, though, Raelle is getting better at this game. She leans a little closer, catching Scylla’s eye and not letting her gaze drop for a second.

“There are a lot of things I’d like to show you,” she murmurs with a smirk before picking up her fork again and returning her attention to the girls and Abigail. 

Raelle is happy to see that, for once, Scylla is the one left speechless as she turns to her plate of food. Raelle glows with pride when she spots the light blush on Scylla’s cheeks out of the corner of her eye. It seems that Scylla can flirt all she likes, but turning the tables on her throws her a little off. 

_Good to know._

They chat with the girls, recounting the events of the day and what they are looking forward to tomorrow. Scylla shares that they’re starting a new project soon and the girls are ecstatic, already brainstorming about what they will make.

Apparently, bracelet-making is a major hit and Raelle watches them plan together with a fond smile. Scylla really is great with the campers. She shares ideas and tips and tricks easily, helping them when they’re frustrated, but she never does things for them. She lets them figure it out, always providing just the perfect amount of support, and the kids love her for it. It’s cute, watching them fawn over her. Not that Raelle can judge them even the slightest bit when she’s in the same boat, albeit for very different reasons.

Scylla catches her staring with a smirk, her eyes sparkling.

“Like what you see?”

Raelle laughs at the callback to the first night of camp. 

“At this point, I’m pretty sure you can answer that for yourself.”

“Touché.” She looks down for a second, and when she looks back up Raelle thinks she catches a flash of… nerves? _That’s unexpected_. 

“Meet me here tonight?” Scylla asks, fiddling with her napkin. “After lights out?” 

Raelle grins.

“Bells,” she says, but she doesn’t turn away from Scylla. 

“Yeah, Rae?” Abigail says from behind her.

“I’m calling in the favor you owe me. I get the night off tonight.” One counselor has to stay with the cabin in the evening, but the others can leave to get a break. They just have to come back before too late, and they have to stay on site.

“You and Tally both, then.” Abigail says with a sigh. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll hold the fort down.”

Raelle does turn then, shooting her friend a grateful look, before she turns back to Scylla. She’s got a hopeful look on her face that Raelle hasn’t seen before.

“I’m all yours, Scylla.”

“Not for the whole night, Rae! You still have to come back!”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Bells.”

* * *

Closing ceremony creeps by as slowly as it possibly could, the seconds dragging by as Raelle obsessively checks her watch only to find that a meager two minutes have passed. Scylla is nowhere to be seen and Raelle feels her absence like a piece of her soul is missing. It should be overly dramatic, or even downright pathetic how attached she is already, but there’s no stopping it now. She’s too far gone now, past the point of no return, in deep enough to drown in ocean blue eyes with no interest in returning to shore. 

Oops?

Raelle sighs, checking her watch again. Another three minutes have passed. 

_Lovely._

They’re supposed to be meditating, but Raelle can’t make her brain shut up for more than five seconds because she keeps wondering what Scylla has planned. Why the dining hall? Why tonight? What is going to happen? Should she change clothes? An endless list of questions circulate through her mind and she tries to calm her racing thoughts with deep breaths like Anacostia says to do but she just _can’t._ Instead, she’s stuck here in silence with her mind going a mile a minute, trying and failing to calm her heart’s pounding in anticipation for the night to come and the beautiful girl she would be seeing in just a few hours.

Raelle cracks an eye open. 

Two more minutes have passed.

_Fucking hell._

* * *

Even with the way time has seemed to slow down just to spite her, closing ceremony does eventually end and they get all eight girls to go to sleep relatively quickly. 

Raelle and Tally creep out of the cabin, carefully avoiding the squeaking floorboards they have learned to navigate over their years at Camp Demeter. 

“What’re you gonna do with your night, Tal?” Raelle asks, pulling on a sweatshirt because the night’s darkness has brought a slight chill with it.

“Oh, you know, nothing much- I mean, I just, yeah. Um. Nothing much.” Tally stutters her way through the answer.

“Tal,” Raelle raises an eyebrow.

“Uh huh?” Her friend answers innocently, as if she wasn’t obviously trying to hide something.

“That was the most unconvincin’ answer you have ever given, and I’ve known you for three years.”

“Ah, yeah.” Tally offers a sheepish smile. “I’m actually… I’m going to see Glory.”

“Shit, Tal. Really? Took you long enough.”

“Ha, you’re one to talk.”

“Hey, I’m _tryin’_ , okay? Things just keep gettin’ in the way.”

“And your nerves have nothing to do with it?” It’s Tally’s turn to raise an eyebrow now.

“ _No_.”

“Whatever you say, Rae.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Raelle holds the door to the dining hall open for Tally and they find Glory waiting at one of the tables. She gives a shy wave to Tally and the redhead returns it with a wide smile. “Go have fun with Glory. Don’t leave any marks where the kids can see, you know the drill.” Tally turns bright red and Raelle tries to stifle her laughter.

“ _Rae_ , oh my goddess, I-”

“Take a deep breath, Tal. It was a joke.”

“Right. Yeah. I’m just gonna…” She gestures to where Glory is waiting for her.

“Go, Tal.”

Raelle grabs a mug of green tea and finds a seat at a table near the doors, watching everyone in the dining hall. At night, it’s got a much more laid back atmosphere as opposed to being a crowded hub of activity in the day. At the end of the day, counselors come here to relax or grab some of the leftover dessert that the kitchen staff leave out for them. It’s quiet, with small groups of her coworkers speaking in hushed whispers over mugs of tea and plates of cookies.

Raelle leans back in her chair with a sigh. The tension of the day slowly fades as she sips the hot tea in her mug, tracing the grain of the wooden table with her fingertip absently. A second later, though, some deeply ingrained instinct that she can’t begin to understand tells her to look up, and there she is. Scylla is walking towards her, a bag thrown over her shoulder and the confident smirk that Raelle likes more and more every day on her face.

Raelle quickly stands to meet her.

“Scyl, hey.” The nickname comes naturally, second nature to the point that Raelle doesn’t even notice it. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Scylla apologizes. “I had to help Anacostia prepare for the rafting trip tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Shall we?” Scylla offers her arm and Raelle can’t help but take it, the point of contact setting her nerve endings aflame. 

“Yeah,” Raelle says. 

Scylla leads her through the dark camp, weaving between buildings and down trails, carefully maneuvering them through the night. 

Raelle chuckles. “Where are you takin’ me?” 

“Do you trust me?”

Raelle nods, “Of course.”

“Then you’ll see,” Scylla says over her shoulder with a wink. The smirk is back, and alluring as ever. 

They walk for a few more minutes before she explains further. Scylla stops in front of a branch blocking the trail and takes Raelle’s hand, rubbing a thumb over her knuckles. The touch is gentle, but leaves a trail of fire in its wake. She slowly meets Raelle’s gaze, her voice impossibly soft and her face so open it catches Raelle off guard.

“I want to show you something beautiful.” 

Raelle can’t stop the words that come tumbling out of her mouth in response.

“You already have.” Scylla pauses, smiling.

“Something else, then.” She pushes aside the branch, clearing the way to their destination, and leads Raelle to one of her favorite spots on the mountain.

“Alder Rock,” Raelle says. Named after the owner of the camp, even if she can’t deign to visit anymore. It’s more of a cliff than anything else, and it looks out over the mountain range in the distance. There’s a bench, but Scylla leads them to sit on the bare rock.

“I wanted you to myself for a little while, if that’s alright.”

“I meant what I said, Scyl. I’m all yours.” 

_More than you know._

Scylla smiles as if she heard Raelle’s thoughts and shrugs off the bag on her shoulder. She digs through it, pulling out a binder and a flashlight. 

“I wanted to show you these.” She turns on the flashlight and flips open the binder to the first page, handing them over to Raelle.

“You said you wanted to see what I make. I paint, mostly, although I don’t mind sculpture. I prefer this, though.”

Raelle leans over, peering at the illuminated page of the binder. It’s a picture of a large painting hanging on a wall, and a stunning one at that. The painting is of a dead mourning dove, a vibrant purple mushroom sprouting from its breast. It would be weird, Raelle thinks, if anyone else had made it. But there’s a haunting beauty to it, a somber air that somehow draws her in and catches her eye. It’s so distinctly _Scylla_ , as if she’s put a little piece of herself into it, which Raelle supposes she has.

“Holy shit, Scyl,” she breathes as she flips through the binder.

“You like them?” Her voice has a trace of vulnerability to it, so different from her usual confidence, and Raelle gives her a reassuring smile.

“They’re _amazing_.” 

It’s true. Each page brings a new spread of color that captivates her, pushes her to keep looking. The paintings play with color, mixing dark and light in a breathtaking display of delicate yet bold contradiction as the pigment spreads across the canvas.

By the third page, Raelle can’t help but notice something.

“I’m sensing a pattern here.” Apparently, Scylla’s mushroom fixation doesn’t stop at keychains. Each painting features fungi in some way. Raelle didn’t know how beautiful mushrooms could be, but you learn something new every day, right?

“Ah, yes.” Scylla leans over the binder, pushing a lock of dark hair behind her ear and glancing up at Raelle with a fond smile. She traces a finger over the page, and it’s obvious that this is very special to her. “In the kingdom of plants, mushrooms occupy the underworld. Nothing ever really dies. Life becomes death, which becomes life again. Over and over.” 

Raelle sighs, her heart sinking a little.

“My mom is really dead.” Scylla winces a little and Raelle instantly regrets what she said, but it’s too late to take back now.

“Sorry, I know it’s a sensitive subject.” She gathers her thoughts for a moment. “What I mean to say is; death is more complicated than people think. It’s not so cut and dry.”

And somehow, Raelle can see it, in the paintings. Throughout all of them, the cycle of life and death repeats itself. It’s a little dark, sure, but there’s also a distinct sense of hope to it all; a comfort that says _this isn’t the end, more is still to come_. It’s like a glimpse of the world through Scylla’s eyes. Despite all the pain she has been through, she has managed to find beauty in the chaos, peace in a world where it is hard to find. It makes Raelle see Scylla in a new light. The shroud of mystery she wears is slowly slipping away, but beneath it is a girl so beautiful, a soul so complex and fascinating and radiant that Ralle can’t help but be lured in. Really, she was a goner the moment she set eyes on Scylla, but this seals the deal.

Raelle can’t stop the hand she raises to Scylla’s cheek, and when Scylla leans into her touch and her face lights up with a little smile, Raelle’s heart _melts_. She can’t stop the words that come tumbling out of her mouth a second later, either.

“You are so beautiful.”

Scylla practically glows. She’s giving Raelle that _look_ again and she’s pretty sure it’s a crime not to kiss a girl when she’s looking at you like that. Raelle can’t stop anything around Scylla, it seems, and before she knows it she’s leaning in, the distance closing-

But then she hears it. 

Voices.

And approaching, fast. 

_You have got to be fucking kidding me._

“Is that-” Scylla starts.

“Anacostia and Izadora, yeah.” 

Scylla sighs. “Loads of fun, those two.”

“I hear they do birthday parties.” That gets a laugh out of Scylla, despite the present circumstances.

Raelle scoots a little further away from Scylla as Anacostia and Izadora come into view, her heart aching a little more with every inch of space that grows between them. 

“Collar, Ramshorn, what a surprise.” Anacostia looks down at them from the top of the path that leads down to the rock where Raelle and Scylla are seated.

“Anacostia,” Raelle returns the greeting. Scylla nods to them.

Anacostia crosses her arms.

“I trust you two are heading to bed soon?” Although it is framed as such, it’s not a question.

“Yes, ma’am.” Raelle is about to stand up and leave when an idea hits her. Scylla is grabbing her bag and Raelle catches her attention.

“Hey.” Scylla looks up, a quizzical look on her face and Raelle takes her chance. She leans over, pressing the sweetest kiss to her cheek. Her skin is soft, and despite a long day under the sun, she smells like a heady mixture of pine trees and sweet earth, like dew on moss. 

Raelle pulls back to find Scylla staring at her, a look of shock and wonder on her face. 

“Sleep well, beautiful,” Raelle murmurs before getting up. Anacostia has averted her gaze while Izadora looks at them in amusement. Raelle nods to them, mumbling a quick “g’night” as she walks past.

For good measure, she throws a smirk over her shoulder meant for Anacostia because she looked so damn uncomfortable, but she catches Scylla’s eye instead and almost walks into a tree. _Almost._

It doesn’t matter though. Even if tonight didn’t go exactly the way she had hoped it would, she feels closer to Scylla now. She also considered throwing Anacostia and Izadora off the cliff, but she figures that wouldn’t end too well for anyone involved. 

Still, as Raelle creeps back into Circe Cabin as quietly as she can and gets ready for bed, all she can think of is Scylla. How she looked, how she smelled, how Scylla’s skin felt under her lips. Scylla’s words play over and over in her mind and Raelle remembers the paintings, how she had shown her something so deeply personal and expected nothing in return. It’s a show of trust, a leap of faith, and the more she gets to know Scylla, the more Raelle is ready to do the same. Ready to take the leap, and ready to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to let me know what you think. Thank you for your kudos and for all of your lovely comments, they truly make my day :)  
> If you would like, come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/Bookworm_Nina) or  
> [tumblr](https://thatgayshit5.tumblr.com/). I hope to see y'all soon!


	5. there's no way it's not going there/ with the way that we're looking at each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beds on the roof, beds in cabins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy. Remember how I said this would be a slowburn? Oops. Please note the rating change, this chapter gets spicy. If that is not your thing, I have marked where the love scene starts and ends with ***.   
> Chapter title is from "There's No Way" by Lauv and Julia Michaels.  
> Major thanks to Donna for reading this one over and Dylan for listening to me ramble about how nervous I was about it. I really hope it's at least a little bit okay and if it's not I'm sorry. Hope y'all enjoy!

The inhabitants of Circe Cabin return from the rafting trip the next day to find something is very wrong with their cabin. At first, Raelle doesn’t think much of it, but then Abigail stops so fast she and Riley at her side almost walk into her.

“Rae, tell me you see that.”

“Tell me what I’m lookin’ at, Bells.”

“My  _ bed _ ,” Abigail’s voice is laced with venom as she glares at their cabin, “is on the  _ roof. _ ”

Sure enough, Abigail’s mattress has been placed on the roof of their cabin, sheets and all. It’s perched on the edge of the roof, perfectly situated to greet them as they arrive after a long day on the river. As they get closer, the rest of the cabin’s mattresses can be seen strewn about on the roof like vibrant additions to the shingles: a colorful tapestry that looks far too cheerful given the situation. It would be funny if Raelle wasn’t completely mystified as to how the hell they got up there in the first place and- more importantly- how they’re going to get them back down.

Tally jogs up to join them, assessing the damage as the other girls catch up with them. “I assume we only need one guess to figure out who’s behind this?”

“ _ Swythe! _ ” Abigail is already marching up their deck to let Libba know exactly what she thinks of this new development.

“Yeah, probably,” Raelle agrees.

Libba appears moments later, the rest of her cabin following behind her to watch the drama unfold.

“Well, would you look who finally showed up?”

“What is all of  _ this _ , Libba?”

“What, you don’t like your new sleeping arrangements? We thought the fresh air would do you some good. You’ve been looking a little rough around the edges; missing out on your beauty sleep?”

“Only because sleeping so close to you would be bad for anyone’s health.”

“I didn’t know you’d been getting that close, Abigail. You have something you want to tell us?” Abigail grinds her teeth for a minute before Tally steps in.

“Okay, let’s get the beds back in the cabin maybe?” Tally suggests and Abigail steps away, her eyes still locked on Libba.

“Just wait, Libba. You’ve got it coming, just wait.”

“I’m always ready, Abigail.”

That night, they steal one shoe from each pair in Rhea Cabin and hide them in various places around the camp. Libba’s are placed on a raft in the middle of the lake at the bottom of the mountain for good measure, and Raelle catches Abigail snapping pictures of their coworker as she climbs out of the water, Libba glaring daggers at her as she drips her way down the dock. Abigail is doubled over in laughter, but her eyes linger a little longer than normal and Raelle raises an eyebrow.

_ Scylla really might win that bet. _

* * *

The two weeks with the elementary campers pass agonizingly slowly, and Raelle’s twenty four hour break halfway through can’t come soon enough. Each counselor is guaranteed one full day off per camp session, and Raelle’s happens to be two days into week two. There’s a spare cabin reserved for off duty counselors to guarantee them space and privacy, and Raelle bolts there right after lunch, calling a quick goodbye to her cabin over her shoulder as Abigail and Tally take them down to the field.

She’s been planning it for days, and the first thing she does is take a shower. A  _ long  _ shower, because each person in their cabin is limited to three minutes of “water time” and the chance to actually enjoy a shower is a luxury she wouldn’t dream of passing up. She sighs, leaning her head back into the stream of hot water and finally allowing her mind to wander as she relaxes. 

The days have been exhausting. Fun, but exhausting, and Raelle is excited to be able to slow down and relax for a little while. She doesn’t have much planned outside of taking a shower, sleeping, and doing everything in her power to get Scylla alone for more than five minutes. They’ve been dancing around each other for over two weeks now and honestly, Raelle is close to just grabbing the other girl and laying one on her for the entire camp to see, except she needs this job and that’s really not an option. Two and a half weeks of almosts and nearlies and interrupted moments are driving her insane and Scylla is  _ not  _ helping with the way she looks at Raelle whenever they make eye contact from across the dining hall. Or the way she smirks at her in the art cabin as she hands out supplies, brushing against her shoulder as she passes her chair much closer than necessary. Or really with the way she exists in general, because she does it all with an alluring smile that makes Raelle equally lovestruck and sexually frustrated.

But, finally, Raelle’s twenty four hours of freedom have arrived and she fully intends to use them well. She turns off the water and steps out of the shower, throwing on some clean clothes and moving to the counter. 

Raelle is at the sink, fixing her hair when she hears the cabin’s door open, the hinges creaking just enough to alert her to another person’s presence. She turns and swears her heart stops for a second because there Scylla is, watching her, the ever-present smirk on her face as tantalizing as ever. 

This time, though, they are alone.  _ Very  _ alone. 

Raelle’s mouth goes dry and Scylla must have an idea about what she’s thinking because she smiles. It’s slow and seductive and Raelle swallows, trapped in the intensity of the gaze Scylla is sending her way. 

“Hi, Raelle.” Raelle’s stomach is suddenly full of butterflies, her heart racing because this feels different. The air in the ten feet between them crackles with electricity.

“Hey, Scylla.” Scylla slowly moves towards her, searching her face and allowing plenty of time for Raelle to back up or tell her to stop.

“I don’t suppose you’re busy right now, are you?” she asks innocently, as if she doesn’t know  _ exactly  _ what is about to happen. As if Raelle could possibly think about anything other than the stunning girl in front of her.

“Not even a little bit.” Scylla’s mere inches away now, and she very clearly came here for one reason and one reason only. She’s dressed simply, just a tank top and shorts, but she wears them so well that it’s hypnotic anyway. Raelle takes a moment to appreciate the neckline that leaves just enough open to her imagination before her gaze returns to Scylla’s perfectly full and plump lips, just a few inches away now.

God, how she’s wanted to kiss them. 

For  _ weeks.  _

She takes a step forward, effectively moving Scylla back toward the door to her room. Scylla backs up until she’s inches from the wall, watching Raelle, a glorious look of anticipation in her face. 

A million thoughts race through Raelle’s head- Scylla looks so good here, watching her carefully, licking her lips, her pupils dilating by the second- and she pauses for a second. She glances at the door to the cabin, tempted to throw caution to the wind because every second that she’s not touching Scylla is a goddamn  _ tragedy _ , but she decides that her coworkers can’t be trusted with this very specific situation. 

***

With one swift yank, she pulls Scylla into her room, quickly locking the door, and has her pushed up against the wall in a matter of seconds. Scylla hits the wall with a gasp, and Raelle is happy to feel the puffs of her breath coming heavy in the space between them. Scylla is the perfect picture of lust- eyes wide and staring up at her, breathing hard, her entire body arching like she can’t get close enough to Raelle, and she’s barely even touched her yet. 

_ Perfect.  _ It’s the only word to describe her. She looks absolutely perfect. Raelle wonders for a second how the hell she got so lucky, to be the one to get this reaction out of Scylla, to get to know her and touch her and watch her come undone.

But then, Scylla is reaching up and pulling Raelle down, crashing them together in a heated kiss and it is everything Raelle could have possibly imagined. 

Better, even. 

Scylla’s mouth is hot and insistent against her own, the kiss desperate as Scylla draws her fervently closer, grabbing her shoulders and tugging at the hair at the nape of her neck. It lights a fire deep in Raelle’s stomach that drives her wild. She takes Scylla’s lower lip between her teeth, pulling and biting at it, and Scylla groans into her mouth. 

Two and a half weeks worth of pent up energy flows between them now, and Scylla’s hands are on her back pulling her closer, blunt nails scraping against her skin; it spurs Raelle on. She wrenches herself away from Scylla’s mouth, dodging her attempts to bring her back in for another kiss, and moves to Scylla’s neck. She brushes her hair back, licking and sucking at her pulse to the tune of the absolutely  _ sinful  _ gasps and pants that slip from Scylla’s mouth. 

Raelle bites down and it draws a glorious whimper from Scylla’s lips. She soothes the red skin then with kisses and Scylla's hands fist in her shirt, her hips moving in a fruitless attempt to find some kind of friction.

“Raelle,” she gasps, “ _ please _ , I-”

Raelle pulls back, her cockiest grin on her face as she moves to murmur into Scylla’s ear, making sure her lips brush against it, relishing the feeling as Scylla shivers against her.

“You’ve been teasin’ me for weeks, Scyl. Drivin’ me crazy. Gonna have to wait a little bit longer.” Scylla  _ whines  _ at that and Raelle thinks her self-control should be applauded for not giving in then and there. 

Now that Raelle has her here,  _ finally _ , she’s torn between the urge to go fast and hard or take her time. She can’t resist teasing Scylla a little longer though because she thinks that’s fair considering how much teasing Scylla has subjected her to, so she takes a little more time.

Not quite enough time to make it to the bed, though. 

At least, not yet.

Raelle smiles, looking at the absolutely breathtaking girl in front of her. Scylla’s hair is messy, her eyes are the darkest she’s ever seen them, and her lips are red and swollen, begging to be kissed again. But the most stunning part of the view is how she is looking at Raelle. She’s looking at Raelle with such pure need and hunger, but there’s another emotion in her eyes that Raelle can’t quite place. It’s intoxicating and Raelle knows she can’t say no for long. She leans back down, capturing Scylla’s mouth in a bruising kiss, savoring the seductive slide of their lips together for another few minutes, allowing her hands to wander up and down Scylla’s sides under her shirt, before finally caving to her desires. 

She quickly turns the other girl and walks her back until her legs hit the bed. Scylla quickly crawls onto it, laying on her back as Raelle lowers herself on top of her, bracing her hands on either side of her and taking another moment to appreciate Scylla from this angle.

And to think she thought Scylla was beautiful earlier. She’s panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she watches Raelle situate herself. She’s also rubbing her thighs together, another desperate attempt for stimulation, but Raelle stops her with a gentle hand on her hip.

“Let me take care of that,” she whispers in Scylla’s ear before placing a quick kiss to her lips. Scylla lets out a half groan, half whimper against her mouth, but she stops and allows Raelle to take control.

Raelle grins and makes quick work of Scylla’s shorts and underwear before gently pushing her legs apart, and Scylla lets her easily. She trails a hand up the inside of her thigh, pausing before she reaches exactly where Scylla needs her.

“This okay?” She murmurs against Scylla’s lips, pulling back a little to search her face for any sign that she needs to stop.

“ _ Yes _ ,” Scylla breathes.

“Good.” She captures Scylla’s right hand in her left, raising it above her head and holding it there before she slides her other hand up and in and  _ oh _ , she’s wet. So wet Raelle slides easily between her folds, quickly learning where to touch and press and rub as she watches Scylla’s face shift under her. She’s a gasping, quivering mess and Raelle would be lying if it wasn’t the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life. 

“ _ Raelle _ ,” she gasps, and Raelle thinks this is the best her name has ever sounded.

“Yeah?”

“ _ Fuck me _ .” Well, who could say no to a request like that? 

“Yes, ma’am.” Raelle carefully maneuvers two fingers a little further down, slowly pushing in and  _ god.  _ She’s hot and tight and wet-  _ so  _ wet- and the moan she lets out is something Raelle is sure she will remember for the rest of her life. 

Raelle allows her a second to adjust before she begins to pump her fingers in and out, rhythmically rubbing at her clit. Scylla’s breaths come in quick, hot pants against Raelle’s collarbone and soon she’s raising her hips to meet her thrusts. Her free hand draws Raelle closer, grasping at her shirt, bringing her down to meet a desperate mouth and drawing her into a fierce kiss. Scylla is clenching down now and Raelle can tell she’s close, her head thrown back, eyes shut, ecstasy painted over her face. Her walls clench and flutter around Raelle’s fingers as she comes with a soft cry. Raelle works her through it, slowing the thrusts as Scylla comes down. 

Scylla slowly relaxes onto the bed with a sigh. Raelle gently removes her fingers but before she can wipe them off Scylla grabs them, licking them clean without breaking eye contact and  _ fuck _ , Raelle has never been more turned on in her life.

Scylla pulls her into another kiss, this time slow and languid as she carefully rolls them over. Raelle groans at the taste of Scylla on her tongue and the other girl grins against her mouth, moving to straddle her. It’s at that exact moment Raelle realizes that she is still fully clothed. 

Scylla pulls at her shirt. “This,” she slides her hand under the hem, “needs to go.” Her hand is so hot against her skin that Raelle’s brain forgets how to make words for a second before she manages to muster the ability to piece enough syllables together to respond.

“Yeah, I- I think I can manage that.” Raelle quickly pulls the offending piece of fabric up and over her head, her sports bra following shortly after. Scylla grins down at her, and Raelle watches in wonder as she makes quick work of her pants, lifting her hips to help them off. 

“Your turn now,” Scylla murmurs into the crook of her neck before grabbing her earlobe between her teeth, biting down gently, and Raelle swears she sees stars. Scylla blazes a painfully slow trail down Raelle’s body, taking her time and sucking several large bruises into Raelle’s skin, before she finally reaches her destination.

Scylla, Raelle finds out very quickly, gives just as good as she gets.

***

They lay together in the bed afterwards, and Raelle watches Scylla in fascination. She wonders how one person can be so amazing, have such depth, and be so beautiful inside and out. 

“What are you thinking about?” Scylla asks, tracing a hand up and down Raelle’s arm, her fingers trailing little swirls along the skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“You.” Scylla ducks her head and Raelle chuckles because after everything they just did,  _ that  _ is what managed to make Scylla blush.

“I’m serious,” she says. “I think you’re amazin’, Scyl. You’re smart, funny,  _ beautiful _ . A little weird, too.”

“You think I’m weird?”

“Sexy weird,” Raelle explains, pressing a kiss to Scylla’s temple. “I like it.” 

Scylla smiles, turning to catch Raelle’s lips in a soft kiss, full of affection. It tastes like stolen moments under the stars and quiet words spoken in moonlight, brimming with sweetness and promises of many more to come.

She pulls back and seems to doubt herself for a moment before she speaks. 

“I like you too.” 

Raelle’s heart swells and she smiles, cradling Scylla’s face in her hands.

“You got no idea how happy you make me.”

“I think I can guess.” Raelle chuckles, pulling Scylla a little closer.

“How did you know to come here? I’m not complaining,” she gestures at their current position, “obviously. Just curious.”

“When Tally and Abigail brought the Circe girls down without you, I asked around. Thought you might want some… company.” She laughs as Raelle lifts her chin to steal a quick kiss. “I’m glad I was right. Izadora was kind enough to take over the afternoon projects.”

“It’s the least she can do, after she and Anacostia interrupted us last week.”

Scylla leans her head against Raelle’s chest. “Hm, I agree.”

Eventually, they have to get up and head to dinner. They walk to the dining hall together, taking a seat away from the campers at a small table in the corner. Raelle frowns as Abigail approaches them, usually off duty counselors are left alone. 

What just happened between her and Scylla must be pretty clear because Abigail stares at them like they just fell from the sky.

“You didn’t.”

“Yeah,” Raelle says, “we did.” Scylla laughs next to her and they share a glance.

“Oh shit.” Abigail glances around nervously. “This is…”

“Great? Awesome?” Raelle offers, confused by her friend’s reaction. “What’s going on, Bells?”

“You’ll find out in a minute.”

“Ladies.” Anacostia approaches them. “I’m sorry to surprise you like this, but we have a serious matter to discuss. I am getting to each staff member as quickly as I can.”

Raelle and Scylla share a confused glance and Raelle reaches for the other girl’s hand under the table, lacing their fingers together and rubbing her thumb over her knuckles.

“Last night,” Anacostia explains, “an incident occured that required me to send home both of Aphrodite Cabin’s counselors. They were dismissed this afternoon.” Raelle opens her mouth to say something but Anacostia silences her with a look before continuing. “I know that this will likely come as a shock to you and you probably have a lot of questions. I will answer them as I am able, but right now I am attempting to solve the logistical issues this has caused.” Anacostia sighs. “Raelle, Scylla, may I ask something of you?”

“Uh, yeah.” Raelle shrugs. “Sure.”

Scylla nods. “Of course, Anacostia.” 

She takes a seat at their table, folding her hands in front of her and leaning forward a little.

“As you may be able to guess, this situation leaves us in a bit of a tight place.” Raelle nods, trying to understand what this has to do with her and Scylla. “We have a cabin with no counselors. Raelle, I know that you love your cabin with Tally and Abigail, but I wanted to ask if you would be willing to share a cabin of campers with Miss Ramshorn.” 

_ Oh. _

So that’s what Abigail was talking about.

“And, Miss Ramshorn, I am aware that your original contract was to work with Izadora, and not as a full time on duty counselor, but we are considerably short-staffed now. I hope you will consider my request.”

“We’ll do it.” Raelle can’t believe the words that come out of her mouth, but she can’t see any other way out of this without losing her job or Scylla or both.

Scylla nods in agreement. “I agree, we’ll do it.”

Anacostia visibly relaxes, “Thank you, this is a huge relief. I will help you navigate the next steps later today.” She offers a grateful smile before leaving to share the news with the other leadership staff.

Raelle turns to Scylla, comforted to see her own conflicted feelings mirrored in the brunette’s expression. On one hand, this means more time with Scylla, but Raelle curses herself for ever wishing for it. Because this also means that they will quite literally  _ never be alone. _

“Well,” Raelle says with a sigh, rubbing her temples with her fingertips, “shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay cool so I'm just gonna leave this here and- yep. Hope you liked it, hope it wasn't complete garbage. Feel free to leave a comment and I hope to see y'all soon.


	6. this is a special love song/for all the young people in the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new cabin and a lullaby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. I am so sorry this took so long to get to you. This one was a little bit of a struggle.   
> The chapter title is from Heather's Song by Misty River- it will play a role in the chapter. Hope you like this chapter!
> 
> FYI- there is a brief mention of drug and alcohol use in this chapter.

Things move quickly after Raelle and Scylla agree to take over the cabin. They finish their meal and Raelle mourns the loss of her break as they part ways to pack up their things. Raelle busies herself with stuffing her clothes into her bag and stripping her bed, moving as fast as she can. Abigail has gone with her to help, and Raelle questions her as they work.

“Care to tell me what the hell happened here, Bells?” She tries to keep the slight bite out of her tone, but it comes through anyway.

“Rachel and Hannah got caught on their day off.” Abigail is being vague and she sounds a little… off. Raelle looks up from where she is folding her quilt, frowning at her friend.

“Caught doin’ what?”

“They… were hotboxing Rachel’s car.”

“Wow, okay. Anacostia fired them for that?” That doesn’t quite add up. Anacostia is strict as hell when they’re on duty, but she doesn’t really care what they do with their free time.

“They were on site, Rae. In the parking lot.”

“ _ Shit. _ ” The camp is pretty laid back when it comes to their relationships so long as they don’t interfere with camp life or the kids, but drugs and alcohol are strictly forbidden on site. They can do whatever they want with their free time off site, but they absolutely cannot bring it back with them. It’s in their employment contract. Anacostia also asks that they be smart about their chosen  _ activities _ , but clearly that didn’t happen either if they decided to do it on site.

“Yeah, and Alder’s the one who found them.” 

_ Okay, so this is really bad. _

“Wait, Alder was here?” Alder almost never comes to Camp Demeter anymore, to the point where they joke about it with some regularity.

“Yeah. She came for a board meeting.” Abigail sighs, taking a seat on her bed. “This is a huge mess. Now she’s pissed as hell, and plus if the kids had noticed...” It’s true. Raelle has nothing against it- hell, she’s smoked a joint or two- but taking it to the camp, where the kids could possibly see it? That crosses a line.

“Oh god, you’re right.” Raelle frowns in the middle of shoving a pair of shorts into her bag. “But why me and Scylla?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Anacostia thought you needed a push.”

Raelle drops her bag to glare at her friend. “ _ What? _ ”

“I’m just saying, we all noticed you were taking a while...” Abigail teases her with a nudge on her shoulder and Raelle rolls her eyes.

“I was doin’ just fine Bells, thanks.” 

Abigail scoffs. “You were saying her name in your sleep, Rae. That’s not fine.”

“I made it happen, didn’t I?”

“Well yes, but you took your time.”

“No thanks to you,” Raelle mumbles. She leans her head back with a groan. “God, this is a disaster. We’re literally never gonna be able to kiss again, let alone… you know.” Abigail nods.

“I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”

“How am I supposed to get laid when we’re leading a cabin of eight kids? And Scylla’s _so_ hot, Abi. _So hot._ ” She slumps over, burying her face in a blanket, her voice muffled by the fabric. “This is cruel and unusual.”

“Spare me the details, Rae. I already have to see the heart eyes you two send each other. But,” Raelle glances up to see her smile, “Tally and I will cover for you a few nights a week. It’s the least we can do.”

Raelle grins at her friend, forever grateful for her. “Thanks, Bells.”

“Of course.”

* * *

Raelle and Scylla stand outside of the empty cabin side by side, bags slung over their shoulders, examining the small structure they will call home for the next month or so. The campers were still at dinner, so they have time to unpack before meeting their new cabin of young girls. This cabin was slightly smaller than Circe, but it was cute. 

Something itches at the back of her mind, though, and she looks at the sign in front of the small structure, squinting at it to make sure she was reading it correctly because  _ no fucking way _ .

Yes fucking way, apparently. Raelle rolls her eyes. How had she not noticed this earlier when Anacostia said it?

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” Scylla glances over, raising an eyebrow at her.

“What is it?”

“Fucking Aphrodite Cabin, Scyl. _Aphrodite_. You know, the goddess of love and romance? The exact thing we can’t do in here?” 

Scylla doubles over laughing as Raelle mopes next to her, glowering at the sign and wondering just how many more jokes the universe can make at her expense. 

“Oh, that is too funny,” Scylla gasps between fits of laughter. 

“It’s not funny. This is a slap in the face. We’re being messed with, I swear.”

Scylla composes herself for a moment before that damn smirk is back, filling Raelle’s head with the urge to wipe it off. “You’re cute when you pout.”

“I am  _ not  _ cute,” she protests in a futile attempt to regain some semblance of control of the situation. It’s pointless, she knows, but she tries anyway.

“Oh, that’s right,” Scylla nods, a humorous lilt to her voice. “I forgot. You’re all tough and strong.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Mhm. And that’s why you braid the girls’ hair every morning and play them lullabies at night.” Damn her friends and their need to undermine her attempts at keeping any kind of reputation.

“Ah. Tally and Abigail shared that, did they?”

“They did.” She pushes a lock of Raelle’s hair out of her face. It makes her heart flutter and Scylla must be able to tell because her eyes go soft and warm and she smiles. “Cute, like I said.”

Raelle ducks her head, smiling despite herself because everything Scylla does drives her crazy and this is no exception. She carefully takes Scylla’s hand in her own, guiding her down the ramp to Aphrodite Cabin, glaring at the sign as they pass it. “Alright. Let’s go, Scyl.”

They enter the cabin and Raelle breathes in the comforting scent of wood, along with something nostalgic and just out of reach that fills the air in the small structure as she takes in the new surroundings. The inside of Aphrodite cabin is just as cute as the outside, the atmosphere homey and warm. She likes it, despite the cabin’s unfortunate name. Four bunk beds covered in blankets and sleeping bags divide up the main living space; two sinks and the door to the bathroom dotting the wall to the left. On the right, a door leads to the counselors’ room that Raelle and Scylla will be sharing. 

Raelle pushes the door open, Scylla behind her, and flicks on the light. Inside, there are two twin beds, two nightstands, and a bookcase for storage. It’s nothing luxurious, but for now it’s home. 

Raelle sighs and tosses her bag onto the bare mattress. 

“Let’s hope this thing stays here,” she mutters. Scylla gives her a puzzled look as she begins to open her suitcase, pulling out a set of white sheets and a blue blanket.

“What?” Raelle realizes that given their previous activities and the following hours spent packing, she and Scylla haven’t gotten much talking done since the previous day, so she explains.

“Libba and Rhea Cabin, they put our mattresses on the roof. It was a pain in the ass gettin’ them back down.” Ultimately they had needed a ladder and several extra sets of hands. Raelle still has no clue how Rhea Cabin had managed to do it alone.

Scylla laughs. “And I’m going to assume that is why Libba took an early morning swim.”

Raelle catches her grin. “Exactly.”

Scylla makes her bed and begins putting away her things, setting up books on the nightstand, glancing up at Raelle every few seconds. Raelle tries, she really does, but it’s impossible not to feel the weight of Scylla’s gaze as she tries her damn hardest to focus on making her bed and not the very obvious way Scylla’s eyes follow her hands, trace her arms, travel appreciatively up and down her body. 

After another minute of torturous tension, Scylla breaks the silence.

“You know, the less time we spend doing all this, the more time we will have to kill before the kids get back…” Raelle has to admit, that is not a bad plan. She turns to Scylla, grinning at her before starting to unpack with renewed vigor.

“You are trouble.”

Scylla cocks her head. “You’re just figuring that out now?” She starts to speed up her actions too, brushing a hand along Raelle’s shoulder as she makes her way to put some folded clothes on the bookcase, her touch leaving a now familiar trail of fire in its wake.

Raelle’s head turns to follow her movements. “I’m  _ appreciating  _ it now.”

“You didn’t earlier?” Scylla teases as she glances over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised.

“I’m appreciating it more and more every day, beautiful.” Scylla’s smile in return is radiant.

They finish unpacking in record time but, to their dismay, as soon as they finish Anacostia shows up to tell them they have to pick up their new cabin of eight year olds from closing ceremony. Raelle grumbles the entire way but stops immediately when Scylla whispers that she will make it up to her at some point, leaving her with only one thought:

_ This girl is gonna be the death of me. _

* * *

They’re good kids.  _ Really  _ good kids. They are confused and sad that their original counselors are gone, and it’s hard to not be able to tell them what happened and exactly why things have changed, but they take the news well. They’re curious, understandably, and Raelle and Scylla spend most of their evening answering questions as well as they can and getting to know the girls. 

Scylla, of course, charms them immediately. Raelle thinks she could charm anyone. How could you look at her and hear her talk and not be charmed? Reeled in by the curious and thoughtful mind behind those ocean blue eyes, the sharp wit that always kept you on your toes? Raelle doesn’t think she’ll ever get tired of watching Scylla talk to the kids, listening as she explains an idea, hell even listening to her explain cabin rules is enjoyable. She would gladly listen for the rest of the night. The rest of her life too, she thinks, but it’s still too soon to have those kinds of thoughts.

Eventually, though, it’s lights out and the girls go to bed, heads filled with excitement for the following day to come.

As Raelle climbs into bed, she feels uncertain. Restless. Scylla is so close- painfully close- but she can’t touch her. After the events of the day she wants nothing more than to hold the brunette close, run her fingers through her hair, tell her how beautiful she is and get lost in the deep blue of her eyes with no interest in being found. 

Unfortunately, the cabin full of eight year old girls attached to their room makes that a little difficult. 

The memories from earlier come back to her for a moment- the divine way Scylla fell apart below her, the pure pleasure of swallowing her moans, the mischievous glint in Scylla’s eyes when she rolled Raelle onto her back to return the favor and just how good it had been. And now, Scylla is leaning back on her bed, a sketchbook open in her lap, the lamp on her nightstand bathing her in soft golden light. She’s just as beautiful now as she was earlier in the afternoon- possibly more so- and Raelle wonders how it’s possible. How she can go from a goddess of seduction to sweet and vulnerable in the blink of an eye and make it all so graceful that Raelle can’t tell when exactly the change occurs; she can only watch in awe as Scylla manages to take her breath away again.

Scylla’s sketchbook is still open, but judging from how she hasn’t moved her pencil in five minutes, she isn’t actually leaving any marks on the page in front of her. Raelle huffs a laugh under her breath. No, Scylla is deep in thought, a faint crease in her brow and she stares intently at the blank sheet of paper, the pencil tapping a gentle rhythm on the wire spiral holding the pages together. 

Scylla sighs. “You know what they say about pictures,” she murmurs, loud enough for Raelle to hear her but quiet enough to go undetected in the room next door. A sly smile spreads across her lips.

“Don’t need a picture of you when I got the real thing in front of me. Wouldn’ do you justice anyway.” Scylla grins at that, placing the sketchbook and pencil to the side before turning and facing Raelle.

“Oh really?” she asks, her eyes sparkling in the dim light of the lamp between them.

“Yep. Best view in the world, right here.”

Scylla’s smile turns soft and affection fills her eyes, painting them a deeper shade of blue that Raelle has never seen before. 

“What are we going to do, Raelle?” The question is quiet, but it holds so much emotion. Raelle is comforted to see her own concern reflected on Scylla’s face. This is going to be so hard for both of them.

Raelle sighs. “I got no idea. Abi and Tally said they would cover a few nights for us, though.”

“Thank the goddess,” Scylla murmurs. “Until then, I guess I’ll just have to keep teasing you…” That  _ smile. _

“You’re tryin’ to kill me, I swear.”

“I thought you liked it.”

“I do. Careful, though. I might start to retaliate.”

Scylla winks and smiles innocently. “I hope you do.”

A few moments of silence pass as Scylla picks up the sketchbook again and Raelle pulls out _The Princess Bride_ , planning to read a chapter before going to sleep. She’s a few pages in when she hears a shuffling sound coming from the main room. She looks up, frowning and listening for any other sounds. 

A moment passes and sure enough, there’s the sound of shifting sheets and a sniffle. 

One of the girls is crying. 

Raelle swings her legs over the edge of the bed, grabbing a sweater and walking to the door. Scylla gives her a questioning look and she nods towards the main room. “I'll be back in a few.”

Raelle pauses in the doorway for a moment, trying to figure out where the sounds are coming from. She finally locates the young girl- Jenny, she said her name was. She’s back in the corner, her bunk slightly separate from the others. Jenny, Raelle remembers, doesn’t seem to be as close to the other campers as the rest of the girls in their cabin are. Her chest aches for the kid; she knows exactly how it feels to be an outcast. 

Raelle approaches the bunk bed slowly, making sure the girl curled up against the wall with a blanket wrapped around her sees her there so she doesn’t catch her by surprise.

“Hey,” she whispers. She waits for the young girl to look up at her with watery eyes. “Can I sit here with you?”

Jenny nods, sniffing and wiping her nose on her sleeve. Raelle takes a seat next to her and Jenny immediately wraps her arms around her waist. She rubs the young girl’s back, slow circles to help calm her.

“I got you. You’re okay,” she murmurs. “D’you wanna tell me about it?”

“I just…” Jenny glances nervously up at Raelle, clearly unsure if she should say what is on her mind. “I miss them.” 

It’s understandable. Raelle can’t blame her; Jenny has spent the last week getting to know her cabin’s counselors and now they’re just gone with no warning. It can’t be easy.

“That’s okay. You can miss them; they were awesome.” Raelle pauses, thinking for a minute to find the right words to help Jenny feel better. “I miss them too.”

“You do?” Raelle nods.

“Yeah, we’re all friends. We miss each other when we leave. And I’m sure they miss you too.”

Jenny blinks up at her, wiping her nose again. “You really think so?”

“Yeah,” Raelle smiles at her. “I really do.” 

Jenny manages a wobbly smile. “Hannah was always really nice to me. Sometimes I feel sad, and she helped me.”

“Was there somethin’ special that she did when you were feelin’ bad?” Raelle figures it’s worth a shot to see if there is anything she can do.

“Well, sometimes I couldn’t sleep, so she would read to me. My mom sings and that helps too.” Now  _ that  _ was something Raelle could do.

“Well, Jenny, you’re in luck. Your new counselor can sing  _ and  _ play the guitar.” Jenny perks up.

“Really?”

Raelle grins. “You bet. I can play for everyone tomorrow, but tonight I got a special song for ya.” Raelle knows just the song. It was a song her mama sang to her when she was young and dreams just wouldn’t come, no matter how hard she tried. “It goes a little somethin’ like this…”

She closes her eyes, remembering the melody well as she sings the first verse.

“ _ This is a special love song _

_ For all the young people in the world _

_ Here’s hoping someone kind _

_ Watches over each and every one…” _

By the time Raelle reaches the last verse, Jenny’s eyes have drooped shut. Her breaths come evenly, and she’s hugging the stuffed dog that was wedged between the bed and the wall earlier. Raelle smiles at the sleeping girl and glances back at the door to her and Scylla’s room. 

To her surprise, Scylla is there. She’s leaning on the doorframe, a soft look in her eyes and a gentle smile gracing her lips. Maybe Raelle should feel embarrassed by having been caught singing a kid to sleep, but she doesn’t. She’s too busy feeling the warmth stirring in her heart at the look in Scylla’s eyes and the way she watches Raelle carefully get up from the bed, making sure not to move Jenny too much.

“Cute,” Scylla whispers as she walks back into the room.

“Shut up,” Raelle mumbles with a quiet laugh. 

“Raelle,” she glances at her. Scylla takes a seat next to her on her bed. “Really, that was beautiful.”

“It was a song my mama used to sing. Always helped me go to sleep, too.”

“I’m sure she would be happy that you’re sharing it with them.” Raelle can’t stop herself from leaning into Scylla, just a little, and Scylla gently strokes her hair. “You really are amazing with them. They adore you.”

“Thanks, Scyl.” Raelle pulls away, despite every nerve screaming for her to stay. “You are too.” 

Scylla smiles, reaching over to squeeze Raelle’s hand before getting up and returning to her own bed.

“Good night, Raelle.”

“Night, Scyl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, thank you Donna for reading it over. I am sending massive thank yous to everyone who has commented and left kudos- y'all make my day every time :) See you (hopefully) soon!


	7. the whole world is sleeping/but my world is you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An early morning and a late night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, long time no see huh? I am so sorry this took so long. This semester all started happening at once and updates might take a little longer from now through November. I'm really sorry, I wish I could have warned y'all earlier. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I might go back and change it a little later, but I wanted to get this out to you guys as soon as I could. 
> 
> Song title is from Bloom by The Paper Kites- I recommend listening to it while reading this, it's really cute.
> 
> As always, shout out to my friend Donna for reading this over.

The next morning goes about as smoothly as can be expected. Raelle’s alarm wakes her up at 6:30 and when no amount of grumbling at it will make the damn thing shut up, she finally turns over and shuts it off. She blinks blearily at the room she finds herself in and pauses in confusion, frowning at her unfamiliar surroundings for a moment before remembering where she is. Yesterday’s events come back to her a moment later and she bolts upright. Raelle quickly turns to look at the girl in the bed next to hers, head whipping to her left to find what is quite possibly the best thing she could ever imagine waking up to. 

Scylla is curled up on her side facing Raelle, a vice grip on the pillow with half of it tucked under her head and half held close by her arm. Her blanket has migrated down around her waist at some point during the night, leaving her bare arms exposed to the slightly chilly morning air. Her hair is messy, the brown locks spread out across the pillow, a few strands swaying in front of her face with each breath that ghosts past her lips. 

Even in sleep, drooling a little on her pillow, she is stunning. It feels criminal to wake her, but that is the agreement they made the night before. It makes no sense to have two alarms set, so they decided to trade off who sets the alarm on which day. Raelle had volunteered to go first and, although it meant losing a few extra moments of sleep, this view is well worth it.

She sighs, her heart sinking a little at the thought of waking the beautiful sleeping girl, but she knows it is necessary.

“Scyl.” She speaks quietly, trying to wake Scylla up but not the cabin of girls attached to their room.

Scylla frowns, an adorable little crease appearing in her brow as she is gently coaxed back from the land of sleep and dreams. “Hm?” Her voice is low and gravely and Raelle grins. Waking up first is definitely worth it.

“Time to wake up, beautiful.”

“Mm,” Scylla sighs, turning over and pulling her blanket up around her shoulders. “No thanks.”

“Scylla…” 

_ Well, this could be an issue. _

The brunette yawns, deep blue eyes blinking open as she stretches before shooting a tired but playful smile at Raelle. “Just kidding, Rae.” 

_ Rae.  _ The nickname sets Raelle aflame with affection and warmth and all the soft things that she never let herself dream of growing up. 

She likes it.

“You ready for this?” Raelle asks as she pulls on a sweater, getting ready to wake the girls and prepare for the long day ahead of them.

Scylla yawns, rubbing at her eyes before shooting Raelle a tired smile as she reaches for a sweater of her own. 

“Bring it on.”

* * *

They’re walking along without a care in the world, completely unaware of the chaos to come, when a shriek catches Raelle by surprise and causes her to jump. Raelle, Scylla, and their girls are approaching Aphrodite Cabin after lunch. A few of the girls have run ahead, but judging from the shouting she can hear coming from their cabin as well as Circe a few doors down, something is very wrong. She and Scylla share a concerned glance before sprinting down the ramp to-

Well. What  _ used to be  _ the front door to their cabin. The girls are blinking at the gaping void where their door used to be, and Raelle slowly walks inside to find that, unfortunately, the door to her and Scylla’s room is also gone. 

_ Fucking. Lovely. _

Scylla appears at her side, frowning at the sight before them. “Is this…?”

“Swythe?” Raelle glances at Scylla and nods. “Has to be.”

“But why? I thought Abigail was her usual target.”

Raelle shrugs. “Pretty sure she got Circe, too.” If the distant shouts were anything to go by. “We’re guilty by association is my best guess.” Raelle sighs, leaning her head against the doorframe as their girls wander into the cabin. Raelle and Scylla follow after them. The girls wander around dazedly for a moment before the sound of a throat clearing gets their attention.

Scylla gathers the girls in a circle on the floor in the middle of the cabin, a somber look on her face. She glances around the circle, catching each girl’s eye as her gaze moves. “Girls, we have a problem on our hands.” 

They nod, Scylla’s sincerity reflected on their faces. They know that whatever she is about to say must be very important. Once she knows she has their rapt attention, Scylla continues.

“We need to recover what was taken. And then,” a sly smile spreads across her features and Raelle tries and fails to hide how captivated she is by it, “we need to return the favor.”

The reaction is instantaneous, squeals of excitement and anticipation erupting from the gathered girls. Scylla watches them in pride with a satisfied smile as the girls start plotting. Raelle leans over, gently bumping Scylla’s shoulder with her own.

“You’re pretty good at that.” Scylla fixes her with a smirk.

“I’m pretty good at a lot of things.” 

_ Fuck.  _ Raelle loses the fight to the blush she can feel heating her cheeks. She forces her brain to make coherent syllables and after a minute of effort, she manages to lean over and whisper in Scylla’s ear.

“I remember.” 

Scylla’s close enough that Raelle can hear her breath catch in her throat and Raelle smirks back at her, winking before moving to gather their cabin to start a search party for the missing doors. 

She turns back in time to catch Scylla shaking her head, a fond smile softening her features. It fills Raelle with warm and fuzzy feelings, making her feel like she’s flying and falling all at once, but in the most exhilarating way possible. She doesn’t turn back around fast enough and Scylla catches her gaze, delicately raising an eyebrow, and Raelle grins before turning back to the group of kids lining up by the door.

Raelle takes a quick headcount before announcing it’s time to leave.

“Let’s go cause some chaos, girls.”

* * *

The doors, it turns out, are hidden in different spots around camp. Aphrodite Cabin’s doors were cleverly placed in the basement of the dining hall, their hinges and screws packaged in small plastic bags and taped to the back of the doors. Unfortunately for Aphrodite Cabin, though, the adventure is not over.

Because finding the doors, it turns out, is the  _ easy  _ part of this task. 

“You’re not even  _ doing  _ anything!” They’re attempting to carry the doors back. In retrospect, it will be funny that the girls think any of them are actually carrying any of the door’s weight because Raelle and Scylla are taking the brunt of it, but the girls wanted to help. For what reason, it’s unclear, but they let them anyway. Builds character or some shit like that. 

“I am too!”

“Are not!”

“ _ Am too! _ ”

Scylla’s panicked warning comes just in time. “Watch out for the wall, girls!” 

It’s a slow process.

Getting the doors back proves to be a much more difficult task than tracking them down. Again, Raelle wonders how the hell Rhea Cabin managed to do this in the first place. 

There is one key detail that their plan for returning the doors to their rightful place lacks, and it becomes painfully obvious once they finally arrive at Aphrodite Cabin. Really, Raelle should have thought of this ages ago because it is  _ exactly  _ the kind of thing Libba Swythe would do. 

Raelle frowns at the door leaning against the wall in front of her, absently chewing her cheek as if that would magically get the damn thing back on the wall where it belonged. Scylla appears next to her, mirroring her posture and crossing her arms.

“Still no screwdrivers?” Raelle asks. Somehow, not a single one was to be found in the entire camp. They all somehow just… disappeared. Again, thank you Libba Swythe.

Scylla shakes her head. “Not that we could find.”

“ _ Shit. _ ” It’s whispered under Raelle’s breath, but Scylla can hear it and nods. 

Raelle chews her thumbnail, trying to think of  _ anything  _ that could be used to screw a door into a wall, when an idea hits her.

“Wait a minute,” she mumbles, pulling her hand away and staring at her thumb for a moment. “That just might work.”

Scylla frowns at her, tilting her head, but Raelle is already pushing past her to their room to dig through her bag. This is a crazy idea, insane really, but it could be weird enough to work. She shoves her hand into the bookbag, cursing her lack of organization and for once wishing she had listened to her mama, before her fingers hit the piece of cool metal conveniently hidden at the bottom of the bag. 

_ Got it.  _

She pulls out the nail clippers with a grin, twisting the small tool to reveal the nail file attached to it. “This better work,” she mutters before heading back out of the room. 

She approaches the door slowly, as if moving too quickly will spook the solid chunk of wood in front of her. Scylla and all the girls watch as she lines up the hinge to the wall, moving the screw into place. She takes a deep breath before bringing the nail file up to find that- oh thank god, the thin metal tool fits perfectly into the grooves at the top of the screw. She gives it an experimental twist, and the screw turns smoothly, slowly twisting into the hole in the wall.

Raelle breathes a sigh of relief, turning back to the silent group of girls as well as Scylla watching her with bated breath. 

“It’s working,” she reassures them, and the girls cheer her on. 

It’s slow going, a painstaking process as a nail file is not at all meant to be used as a screwdriver, but it will work for now until Swythe finally decides to give the fucking screwdriver back.

_ Thank god _ , Raelle thinks to herself. It would have been really embarrassing if it hadn’t worked.

* * *

That night, Tally covers Aphrodite Cabin to let Raelle and Scylla have some time together. They walk through the dark together, heading towards the tower to watch the stars again. 

Raelle tentatively reaches for Scylla’s hand, brushing her pinkie against Scylla’s, and grinning when Scylla easily laces their fingers together, letting them gently swing together as they walk. It feels easy, natural, like there’s no other place that her hand should ever be than right here connected to Scylla’s. 

This poses a dilemma once they reach the stairs, though. The stairs are too narrow to allow them to climb side by side. They stop at the base of the stairs, and Raelle gestures for Scylla to go first. “After you,” she says with a small smile.

“Such a gentlewoman,” Scylla chuckles, beginning to climb the stairs.

“Mama raised me right,” Raelle says as she follows her. “Taught me how to treat a pretty girl.”

“Taught you how to be resourceful, too.”

“Ha. That she did.”

“Really, though. That was pretty impressive.” Raelle climbs up the last step, taking Scylla’s hand and rubbing a thumb over her knuckles.

“What can I say?” She raises the hand in hers and presses a kiss to it. She meets Scylla’s gaze, smirking against her skin. “I’m pretty good with my hands.” Raelle shocks herself with the line as well as Scylla, who takes a moment to respond.

“I remember.” Well, shit. It seems the tables have turned.

“I wasn’t kidding about retaliation,” Raelle murmurs.

“I wasn’t kidding about hoping you did.” Scylla smiles, her hair glistening in the moonlight. “Give me everything you’ve got.”

“I’m trying.” It’s more than just a flirty response. Raelle would give her everything. Anything she could possibly want, Raelle wouldn’t hesitate. Not even for a moment. She would stop at nothing to make Scylla happy.

Scylla looks up at her, her eyes wide at the deeper meaning she must sense is behind Raelle’s words. She blinks for a moment, before leaning in and capturing Raelle’s lips in the sweetest kiss she has ever felt. It’s gentle and soft, but filled with so much affection that Raelle feels her heart ready to burst out of her chest. She returns the kiss, raising a hand to cup the back of Scylla’s head to deepen it. Scylla sighs into the kiss and pulls her closer, her hands warm and solid on Raelle’s waist as she holds her, and Raelle can’t help but notice how unbelievably right this feels.

Their bodies fit together perfectly, just like their hands did earlier. 

Scylla kisses her like she’s precious, her movements slow and gentle and full of care. It’s different from the last time they kissed, when they were so full of desperation and excitement that there had barely been a moment to take a breath before they were tearing at each other’s clothes. Now, here in the peaceful dark at the top of the tower with the moon casting a pale glow above them, it feels like they have an eternity to spend together. 

Raelle thinks she wouldn’t mind that- eternity, with Scylla. Eternity to kiss her, listen to her talk, memorize all the little things she never fails to continue discovering. Like how Scylla drinks green tea, not coffee. Or how she always has charcoal or paint on her clothes and hands. Or, better yet, the sparkle in her eyes when she makes Raelle blush. Like the fireflies below them in the late June evening. 

Not minding it isn’t enough, Raelle realizes as they finally pull away for air. She looks at Scylla, slightly out of breath, her hair messy again like it was this morning, her eyes searching Raelle’s face. No, Raelle  _ wants  _ eternity with Scylla.

The thought catches her by surprise and fills her with something warm and tingly that she can’t quite place. She just knows she likes it, and she needs Scylla close to her. Raelle’s gaze travels over Scylla’s face, finding every freckle, every faint line, mapping out and memorizing every detail because each one feels like a treasure Raelle is somehow lucky enough to find.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispers.

“So you’ve said,” Scylla deflects with a smile.

“Don’t make it any less true.” She’s said it before and she will say it again. She can’t imagine a world where she wouldn’t. It doesn’t feel like one she would want to exist in.

“You are too, you know.” That catches Raelle by surprise. She is not used to receiving compliments, let alone accepting them. She cocks her head though, meeting the deep blue gaze watching her with an intensity that is almost too much to handle. There’s a first for everything, after all.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes,” Scylla says simply. “Raelle, I-” she pauses, collecting her thoughts like Raelle is learning she does when she’s nervous. She searches Raelle’s face for a moment longer before continuing. “You’re so beautiful. But you’re also kind and caring and you make me feel things I didn’t know I could feel. I don’t know what this means or where this is going, but I just know I want to be with you and I don’t know if you-”

Raelle stops her with a gentle kiss. As she pulls back, she leans their foreheads together, her hands gently cupping Scylla’s face, thumb rubbing a gentle soothing pattern on her cheek. “Hey. I’m here. I know this shit is complicated and scary, hell we don’t even know where we’ll be next week, but I’m here. I’m in this with you. We’ll figure it out together, no matter what happens.”

Scylla sniffs, and Raelle realizes she’s crying. Her heart aches for Scylla, overwhelmed with the instinctual need to reassure her that they will be okay, even if she’s not sure of it herself. She gently wipes the tear away with a reassuring smile, meeting Scylla’s gaze again.

“I got you. We’re in this together, okay?”

Scylla nods, a wobbly smile appearing on her lips. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed this. Feel free to leave a comment or kudos and let me know what you think! See you (hopefully) soon.


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